AN ENRAGED thug started a fight, flicked his blood at police officers and hurled racist abuse at a man going to hospital.

Richard Green has been given a community order after subjecting neighbours and police to a tirade of abuse and violence in Southend.

The 42-year-old got into a fight with another man, which started when a neighbour threw something at him in Swingboat Terrace.

After people managed to calm the situation, Green left the scene, but by then police had been called. Officers tracked him down to a road nearby.

Upon his arrest he was shouting at the officers while bleeding from an injury in the fight, flicking blood at them saying he had hepatitis, some of which landed on one officer’s cheek.

When they took him to hospital, Green racially abused a resident on his way in.

Later, when inside his police cell, he wrote “die scumbag” in his own blood on the wall.

Green, of Gainsborough Drive, Westcliff, admitted assault of emergency workers, criminal damage and racially aggravated harassment after the incident on January 4, and was sentenced at Basildon Crown Court yesterday.

Mitigating, Chris Whitcombe said Green had since sought help from mental health services and was undertaking counselling for post traumatic stress disorder. He said: “He would like me to apologise to the officers and he is embarrassed beyond belief for his behaviour.”

Judge Andrew Hurst gave Green a three year community order. He said: “This would have been very disturbing for them [police]. They are just doing their jobs.

“Your behaviour that night was unacceptable and it was frightening.”