A YOUNG father from Cannington who hurled abuse at police despite having two suspended prison sentences hanging over him has been given a final chance to mend his ways.

David Doherty, 28, of Oaktree Way, was due to be sentenced last week over an incident on December 5 last year, when he shouted abuse at police while drunk outside The Palace nightclub in Bridgwater.

The father-of-one was charged with using threatening words and behaviour and with breaching two suspended sentence orders, for offences of criminal damage and affray.

However, at Taunton Crown Court last Monday, Judge Stephen O'Malley deferred sentencing for four months to give Doherty a chance to prove he could properly rehabilitate himself.

The judge told him: “You have been committed to this court because your behaviour in the small hours on December 5 last year, when you were clearly drunk, fighting drunk, put you in breach of two suspended sentences.

“You are otherwise a person who is making quite good progress under supervision.

“If you remain of good behaviour, you remain employed and remain a family man and nothing happens in that four months, well and good - the suspended sentence will not be activated.

“The ball is very much in your court.”