A MAN broke a police community support officer’s nose with a single punch - after the officer tried to tell him his flies were undone.

PCSO Carlos Archer had only wanted to inform Christian Terence Rowbotham, 43, that his flies were down, said Laura Addy, prosecuting at York Crown Court.

“Without provocation, he (Rowbotham) struck the officer in the face with a powerful clenched fist,” she said.

“The officer described feeling something crunching in his nose and knowing the nose had been broken.”

PCSO Jonathan Hields went after Rowbotham, who kicked him and ran away.

Rowbotham, of Ordnance Lane, York, pleaded guilty to actual bodily harm to PCSO Archer and assaulting an emergency worker and was jailed for seven months.

“You are unable to control yourself and you will continue to be a risk to people unless you can learn how to control your temper and violence,” Judge Andrew Stubbs QC told him.

Victoria Hajba, for Rowbotham, said: “He is incredibly remorseful for his actions. He has asked me to apologise to the court and to the officers for his behaviour.”

Rowbotham claimed to have Huntington’s disease, but did not produce medical evidence to support his claim.

In a victim personal statement PCSO Archer said he had felt totally helpless after the assault and upset that he, who was supposed to support others and solve their problems, had to have help himself.

He had also been unhappy that he had to go to hospital and thereby reduce the number of officers on duty.

The Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police Lisa Winward sent a statement about the assault to the judge.

She said: “It is never acceptable to assume that assaults upon police officers and staff should be tolerated, they are not simply ‘part of the job’.

“These absences impact acutely on resourcing and the ability of the force to deliver ‘front–line’ policing.

“They also place additional strain on other members of the organisation due to the transfer of work to others, which can have significant impact on the wellbeing of police officers and staff.”

Ms Addy said PCSO Archer approached Rowbotham after staff at the homeless charity Carecent, in St Savioursgate, couldn’t get him to do up his flies.