A MAN who was threatening and abusive to paramedics called after he collapsed and stopped breathing has been sentenced to three months in prison.

Darren Dowie, aged 31, appeared before Worcester Magistrates Court for sentencing.

The court was told that ambulance staff tried to help Dowie on Wednesday, December 27, by injecting him with drugs to combat a suspected heroin overdose. On regaining consciousness Dowie was angry to discover paramedics had cut through clothes which were a Christmas present and became verbally agressive, tried to throw punches and swung a sports bag.

Nick Roberts, defending, said Dowie, of Cedar Avenue, Brickfields, was remorseful but angry with the injections as he had not taken heroin.

Dowie also appeared on the same day for attempted burglary when he and his younger brother Michael were found guilty of attempting to enter the home of an elderly woman in Worcester's Northwick Road. The court was told the brothers' attempt to burgle the bungalow was foiled when a neighbour photographed them.

Both men denied the offence, which occured while the owner was away. The court was told that Michael Dowie, aged 21, of no fixed abode, tried to prise open some french windows at the back of the property while his elder brother acted as a look out.

Darren Dowie admitted taking oil from a garage and assaulting a police officer.

Magistrates decided Michael Dowie was not guilty of a separate charge of burgling the garage. He was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison for the attempted burglary, four weeks for burgling the garage and four weeks for assaulting a PC, with the sentences to run concurrently, but consecutive to the 12 weeks he was given for threatening paramedics.

Michael Dowie was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison for the attempted burglary.