A Catford thug who kicked a policewoman in the head has been jailed.

Kersan Euell, of Penerley Road, kicked PC Lorraine McGinty in the back of the head and fractured one of PC John Collins' ribs after they pulled over a BMW in a routine check.

The driver, Martin Payne, was not only behind the wheel with no licence or insurance but was out of prison on licence with one of the stipulations that he did not see Euell.

Despite being arrested on suspicion of causing GBH, they were only charged with the lesser offence of actual bodily harm.

Because of their guilty pleas, the judge had to reduce any sentence, meaning the pair got just over six years between them.

A video of the attack, filmed in Merton, shortly before 8pm on November 17 went viral after being posted on social media.

Euell was arrested three days after the attack, when police went to Thornton Heath and found him hiding under a mattress.

He initially denied any involvement but later admitted the ABH charge despite claiming he was acting in self-defence as the brave officers had "exceeded their authority" in trying to detain his pal Payne.

The female officer, who is a mum, did not return to work for more than a month after being attacked by Euell and is considering early retirement.

Judge Sarah Plaschkes told Kingston Crown Court: "PC McGinty was found to have a two-inch long laceration to the back of her head, which was glued by hospital staff."

PC Collins suffered muscular pains through his shoulder, sharp pains to the left side of his rib cage and severe headache.

The defendants' previous convictions were listed, including robbery, violent disorder, assault of a constable and, in Payne's an assault with intent to resist arrest.

In pre-sentence reports Euell was described as posing a "high risk of causing serious harm to others, most notably police officers he perceives to have wronged him".

The judge said to Euell: "You intentionally and with considerable force kicked a police officer to the ground and into the path of oncoming vehicles, you left her lying in the road and returned to continue your attack on PC Collins."

He was sentenced to three years and six months, while Payne, 19, from New Malden, got two years and nine months.

Both will serve their terms in a young offenders institution.