A teenager who was handcuffed and thrown to the ground by a policeman on Mardi Gras night had sworn at officers, police have revealed.

The assistant commissioner, Mark Murdoch, said the initial charge against Jamie Jackson, 18, was "offensive language".

When police on Oxford Street apprehended him for the charge at 10pm on Saturday night, a struggle ensued and witnesses started to film it on their phones.

In the video, which has amassed 150,000 views since Tuesday night, Mr Jackson is thrown to the ground in handcuffs and an officer from the Fairfield local area command holds a foot on his back.