A DRUNKEN thug hit a police officer over the head with a metal pole and left him with a deep gash across the back of his head.

Matthew Gray shouted down the phone at police operators after calling 999, claiming he would attack the first officer they sent to him “with a crossbow”.

The 29-year-old of Ambleside Drive, Southend, made the calls on May 29, which raised concerns of officers who were despatched to his home.

When they couldn’t find him there they patrolled the areas nearby before a person matching his description was spotted at 3am near Southchurch Park.

Officers followed him as he jumped over a garden fence and went to lie down on a trampoline.

Gray was told not to move, but he became aggressive and approached the officer, swinging a punch at him that missed.

However, Gray then grabbed a metal pole, measuring around 1.2 metres.

He struck the officer several times on the head.

The officer was left with a five centimetre deep cut at the back of his head which had to be treated.

Later, after carrying out the attack, Gray said to another officer that he’d “done a job” on him, and asked if he had caused grievous bodily harm.

Gray appeared at Basildon Crown Court yesterday after previously admitting causing actual bodily harm to the officer.

The court heard that Gray had been intoxicated at the time of the attack.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the officer said he has been left angry by the attack and struggles to sleep, and is going through a “crisis of confidence” and had to be off work for several days.

Mitigating, Mike Warren said: “He did not deal with the loss of his grandparents very well and he is embarrassed.

“He wished he could have been stronger.

“He is extremely remorseful.

“He will be making concerted efforts to manage his alcohol problem.”

Recorder Paul Taylor jailed Gray for two years.

He said: “Many people think committing a crime when intoxicated is a mitigating factor.

“It isn’t, it makes it worse.”