A MAN punched a police officer after throwing away hundreds of pounds worth of cocaine when the PC moved in to search him.

David McAlpine, 23, assaulted the officer and struck his colleague on the knee during a struggle on Larkfield Road shortly before Hogmanay last year.

Sheriff Moira McKenzie decided 'with some hesitation' not to jail dad-of-two McAlpine after hearing that he had already spent 44 days remanded in custody on the matter.

Prosecutor Frankie Morgan said: "Police saw the accused apparently under the influence of a substance and he appeared to be concealing an item in his hoodie pocket.

"He had a deflated balloon with a white container within it which he threw to the ground.

"As one officer took his left arm the accused swung round and lashed out with his right and punched the officer to the head.

"This caused the officer to let go of him and the other officer then took hold of the accused.

"He continued to struggle and struck the officer to the left knee."

Greenock Sheriff Court heard how McAlpine, of Collingwood Terrace in Gourock, managed to briefly escape before he was apprehended a short distance away.

The item he threw away contained five grams of cocaine valued at £200.

He committed the offences at around 9.45am on December 30.

Defence lawyer Gerry Keenan said: "It is quite apparent he was struggling with the abuse of controlled drugs.

"He was taken to the hospital due to his level of impairment, and this shows that he was in the grip of an addiction."

Referring to McAlpine's period on remand, Mr Keenan said: "One form of punishment has already been exacted for these crimes.

"That is something he does not wish to repeat."

Sheriff McKenzie placed McAlpine under supervision for a year and on an electronic tagging nighttime curfew for three months.