A man with a long record of offending attacked a police officer with a wine bottle before telling cops: "If I'm going down, I might as well go down in style."

Anthony Woodhead-Robertson, 39, is expected to receive a lengthy jail term when he is sentenced on Friday.

The officer was attacked after responding to reports that Woodhead-Robertson was 'playing with his genitals' in Moston.

He was previously banned from Manchester city centre, after being hauled before the courts for grabbing a woman's bottom in Market Street.

Woodhead-Robertson also made lewd comments to a woman as she ate lunch on a bench near Marks and Spencer.

Manchester Crown Court heard his attack on the police officer marked an 'escalation' in his offending.

The officer, PC Joanne Aitken, was called to St Mary's Road in Moston in May last year, following reports that Woodhead-Robertson, who was holding a wine bottle, was 'playing with his genitals down his trousers'; being verbally abusive making sexual comments to women; and attempting to grab people.

(Image: STEVE ALLEN)

He also followed a group of children, aged about 12, who were passing.

PC Aitken said Woodhead-Robertson appeared to be drunk, and told him to put the bottle on the floor.

Instead, he raised the bottle in the air. The officer took out her baton in self defence, prosecutor Neil Fryman told the court.

Woodhead-Robertson, from Salford, hit the officer's head with the 75cl bottle of Amorino wine.

Fortunately, it didn't break, and despite being hit, the officer was able to hit his legs with her baton.

Woodhead-Robertson then hit PC Aitken twice more across the head, using 'a lot of force' and knocking her to the floor.

He tried to run away, but the officer rugby tackled him. Members of the public then helped restrain Woodhead-Robertson so he could be handcuffed.

In interview the following day, Woodhead-Robertson said he had been drinking since the afternoon, and claimed the officer had arrested him 'for no reason'.

He said: "I thought 'let's have a game of that, b**ch, .... boom, and I hit her with my bottle.

"If I'm going down, then I might as well go down in style."

He later pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

(Image: MEN Media)

PC Aitken was taken to hospital and needed five staples in her head. She spent three weeks off work, but returned early in an act of defiance.

In a statement read to the court, she said: "I went back early to show that people like the defendant cannot win."

The officer said it was the first time in 20 years of policing she had been forced to use her baton.

Woodhead-Robertson has 25 previous convictions for 36 offences, including for violence, being drunk and disorderly and public order offences.

In April 2017, he subjected members of the public to a racist and abusive tirade.

He 'made a beeline' for a woman who was stood at Salford Crescent station waiting to be picked up, and she asked him to leave after saying the situation was 'pretty scary'.

Woodhead-Robertson told her: "I will do what the f*** I like."

In a racist slur, he added: "P****, I'm going to f****** kill them."

(Image: STEVE ALLEN)

A group of young girls nearby were so upset they ran away. He then threw a 'rope-like' item he had with him at a black couple.

Police were called, but before they arrived, Woodhead-Robertson exposed his genitals and performed a sex act.

The whole incident lasted about 20 minutes.

In interview he denied being racist and said he wasn't drunk. He was then bailed, later pleading guilty to indecent exposure.

In October that year, Woodhead-Robertson approached a 10-year-old girl, who was with a friend, and asked if they had any money and whether he could go to church with them.

They said no and left, but he followed them and went into their house. An adult was inside and the police were called.

Later that evening, two community patrol volunteer were in Higher Broughton when they saw the Woodhead-Robertson being asked to leave a woman's garden.

He hit out at one of them, and said 'f****** homos', adding that he 'hated' gay people.

One of the officers took a picture of him when he exposed himself.

Woodhead-Robertson admitted charges of common assault, indecent exposure and a public order offence.

Days later, he harassed women coming in and out of a shop in Higher Broughton. He asked one of them to perform a sex act on him.

He then exposed himself to a woman and told her he wanted to have sex with her. He later said he 'hated queers'.

Woodhead-Robertson said that if he swore at a police officer, it was because they were 'camp'.

He was also previously in court for grabbing a woman's bottom on Market Street in Manchester city centre in July 2016.

Prosecutors said Woodhead-Robertson later said 'grabbing females' bottoms is something he does when he has been drinking or has been on drugs'.

He was jailed for four months after the woman followed him to Piccadilly Gardens and took his photo.

A day after being released from prison, Woodhead-Robertson was seen exposing himself to traffic at St Mary’s Rd, Moston, while ‘hanging onto a tree’ with one hand.

His probation officer saw what he was doing as she happened to drive past, and called the police. Woodhead-Robertson admitted offences of sexual assault and indecent exposure.

At the time, he was already the subject of a three-year community order, imposed in July 2014, after he sat on a woman’s lap and made lewd comments as she ate lunch on a bench near Marks and Spencer in the city centre.

Judge Anthony Cross QC deferred sentence for six months to allow Woodhead-Robertson to make progress.

But the same judge said the defendant had thrown the opportunity back in his face.

Robertson, of Laurel Court, Salford, will be sentenced on Friday.