A drug dealer who assaulted a policeman who was trying to detain him has been jailed for two years.

David Gatsizi kicked the officer in the face as he tried to avoid arrest after he was spotted plying his trade in Chippenham.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how the 24-year-old matched the description of a man wanted for selling hard drugs.

At about 1.20pm on July 29 she said an officer spotted him walking on The Butts and, after identifying himself, told him he was going to be searched.

She said as he went to handcuff him he started to struggle and shouted towards his mobile phone, on which he had been making a call, as if to warn the other person.

"The phone fell to the floor and he continued shouting at the phone on the floor. He threw away what was believed to be wraps of class A drugs," she said.

"He was told he was arrested. He struggled violently towards the package he had thrown away, thrashing with his elbows."

She said the men fell to the ground and the defendant was kicking out in the face of the officer, who punched him hard to the face to try and detain him.

The pair continued to struggle until another officer arrived to detain the defendant who said 'I don't ever sell drugs, this is the first time I have tried it'.

However she pointed out that he had been jailed for two years at Exeter Crown Court in December 2013 for possessing heroin and cocaine with intent to supply.

When he was searched he was found to have 10 wraps of cocaine, £565 in cash and a small amount of cannabis.

And his phone was littered with messages relating to the trade in drugs including some saying 'about with both'.

Gatsizi, of Camberwell, East London, admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply, having cannabis and criminal property and assaulting a police officer.

Peter Binder, defending, said that while he accepted he had assaulted the officer he came out of it the worse.

He said he had come to the UK with his father in 2001, not seeing his mother in all that time, and has indefinite leave to remain.

After getting out of prison last year he said he had found it impossible to get work with no support network and a criminal past.

Jailing him Judge Tim Mousley QC said "These offences are so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be imposed.

"You were street dealing, you had in your possession ten wraps of cocaine. Text messages on your phone indicated you were dealing in drugs, as did the amount of cash you had."