A MAN shot with a taser gun after threatening police officers with a curtain pole has escaped a prison sentence.

Officers were alerted to the home of mum-of-one Melanie Barker-Smith on November 11 last year after she reported that partner Dean Attrill had become "aggressive", Bournemouth Crown Court heard.

On arrival Attrill, 37, boasted to officers that it would take at least four of them to arrest him and got a curtain pole out of the back garden of the Bournemouth address, which he brandished at them.

Attrill threatened PC Francesca Barzaghi and PC Glen Batt with the pole, ignoring their requests to drop it.

Fearing for their safety, officers used pepper spray twice on Attrill with no effect.

Attrill struck PC Barzaghi on the shin with the pole and threw PC Batt to the floor.

By this time the armed response unit had arrived and tasered Attrill, causing him to drop the pole, the court heard.

PC Barzaghi was left with a bruised leg and needing crutches while PC Batt suffered grazing to the left elbow. Attrill of Keith Road, Talbot Woods, Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to affray, ABH and common assault.

Defending Attrill, Jeffrey Norie-Miller said that he suffered from bi-polar disorder and had recently been hospitalised after trying to kill himself.

On his release from hospital he downed quantities of alcohol which clashed with antidepressants, causing "a psychotic response", he added.

Mr Norie-Miller said: "He was directing the aggression towards himself.

"It was this aggression towards himself that took him first to hospital, back out again and led his partner to contact police because of her concerns about his state of mind.

"He does not seek to excuse his behaviour towards the police officers. It was totally abhorrent behaviour for which he is totally remorseful."

Judge Samuel Wiggs sentenced Attrill to a 48-week suspended prison sentence and ordered him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.

Attrill was also ordered to pay compensation of £1,000 to PC Barzaghi, £500 to PC Batt and ordered to pay £722 prosecution costs.