A man said to appear to "get a thrill" from assaulting emergency workers has been jailed for a string of offences, several of them also of a domestic nature against a recent ex-partner.

Callum Hood received a 24-month prison sentence for a total of 26 offences, committed in recent months in County Durham and previously in his native Bradford.

Durham Crown Court heard that the catalogue of offending culminated in Hood’s violent arrest after he accompanied his partner to Darlington Memorial Hospital on the evening of May 23.

Ellen Wright, prosecuting, said police were called to the hospital following reports of a male assaulting security officers and being aggressive to hospital staff, at about 8pm.

(Image: Durham Constabulary/The Northern Echo)

Miss Wright said a security officer had been alerted to a man behaving aggressively who he asked to calm down.

She said the man appeared agitated and tried to grab the security officer’s body-worn camera.

The security officer managed to push him away and then took him to the ground, having asked for assistance.

Backed by a colleague, Hood was escorted outside and an off-duty police officer also went to the aid of the hospital security staff.

Miss Wright said Hood continued to resist, lashing out and refusing to say who he was.

Even when he was placed in a police van, which had arrived at the hospital, he banged his head off the inside of the caged area and tried to wedge his foot in the door to prevent it being closed, telling the officers trying to deal with him: “Welcome to Bradford.”

Officers spoke to the woman Hood had accompanied to hospital and she said she had been in a relationship with him for four months, during which he subjected her to domestic abuse.

She had allowed him to stay at her home as he told her he was homeless, but he soon became controlling, questioning her if she went out, demanding to know her whereabouts, and creating difficulties for her as she worked from home.

There were also two incidents where he grabbed her by the throat, squeezing tightly to the point where she struggled to breathe.

She told police he had caused damage to her home, including punching holes in four internal doors.

Miss Wright said the exasperated woman told police at one stage, sick of his behaviour, she tried to drive Hood back to his family home in Bradford, but he kept pulling the hand brake on the A1(M), saying he did not want to live anymore, so she returned home fearing he might cause an accident.

Following further violence to the woman, after drinking vodka, on May 23, she drove herself, accompanied by the defendant, to hospital after taking a number of painkillers.

It was after Hood was asked to leave the hospital by medical staff due to his unruly behaviour, that he was violent towards the security staff.

The court heard that the 24-year-old defendant, who had been living at Central Grange, St Helen Auckland, at the time, admitted four counts each of common assault and damaging property, two each of intentional strangulation and assault on an emergency worker, and one of controlling and coercive behaviour.

Hood was also facing 13 further offences, 11 of assaulting emergency workers, admitted previously at court at Bradford, for which he was on a deferred sentence.

The court in Bradford gave leave for him to be sentenced on the deferral as well as the Durham offences.

(Image: Durham Constabulary/The Northern Echo)

Hood's record of 20 past convictions for 46 offences was said to include previous assaults on emergency workers, damaging property, plus other crimes of burglary and robbery for which Hood served custodial sentences.

Duncan McReddie, in mitigation, said the defendant has admitted all the offences, without prevarication, and wants to apologise to all those affected by his crimes.

He said the defendant needs to work with agencies to address his behavioural issues, which have beset him since childhood and which have been exacerbated by his use of alcohol and drugs in recent years.

Mr McReddie said: “He needs to access and maintain involvement with relevant agencies which can help him.

“He wants to serve his time, ‘clean’, and get out to start afresh.”

Judge Nathan Adams said police going about their lawful duties have been affected by the defendant resisting arrest, fighting back against officers and causing damage to police vehicles and stations.

He told Hood: “You seem to get some sort of thrill out of it.

“You were somewhat generously given the chance of a deferred sentence on April 4.

"But, quite incredibly, you then behaved badly to your partner during your relationship, at a time you were supposed to be behaving yourself.

"Then, you behaved aggressively to security staff and to the police at the hospital.”

Imposing a total 24-month prison sentence, Judge Adams also made Hood subject of a restraining order prohibiting contact or approaches to his now ex-partner, for ten years.