Body-worn footage captures the moment a dangerous robber, once jailed for the public’s protection, abuses and threatens police during a homophobic rant.

John McDonagh was arrested by officers in Maidstone town centre after suffering head injuries in an apparent attack in which he alleged he was hit with a shovel.

The 41-year-old had been wanted by the authorities after being released on licence but breaching the terms of it by committing other offences.

McDonagh not only threatened three officers, but he also called them “nerds, f******s and gay boys” and even accused them of assaulting him before threatening retaliation, adding “when my family see what you’ve done to me. It doesn’t matter”.

After being taken to hospital to get his injuries tended to, he was later charged with three offences.

McDonagh, who is currently being held at HMP Coldingley, in Woking, admitted three counts of threatening or abusive behaviour when he appeared at Margate Magistrates’ Court remotely from prison on Tuesday, October 23.

The court heard he abused the three officers in the county town on May 24 at 5am after police arrested him over other matters

Prosecutor, Terry Knox told magistrates about McDonagh’s previous convictions.

He added: “He was last in court in May for three assaults on emergency workers and in 2014 there was an ABH and other offences.

“He’s in custody now as he’s been recalled and was recalled in May.”

McDonagh then spoke to the bench and said he didn’t do what he was charged with and it was all lies.

He claimed he had been staying at Fleming House in Maidstone - a probation hotel subject to a BBC Panorama expose over lax control procedures - after he’d been released on his licence and that he was attacked that morning.

He added: “A mental patient hit me with a shovel, and I stopped the police, I was robbed and assaulted and I stood in front of the police car. I had my head stamped on.”

However, Mr Knox then showed the body-worn footage to the bench in which McDonagh can be seen with blood coming from a head injury as he’s arrested.

Officers tell him that he’s wanted on recall, and he can then be heard abusing them, swearing and accusing the officers of assaulting him.

The officers also gave statements to say they were upset at the language McDonagh used and that he was a violent and intimidating person who acted aggressively towards them.

One of the officers also said that even though they were straight, they found his homophobia offensive.

The prosecutor then told the court that McDonagh had previously been given an IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentence for robbery and assault because he’d been deemed a danger to the public and was on licence from that sentence when he was housed in Maidstone.

He added: “He can only be released from that sentence in June or July next year.”

McDonagh then shouted out: “I was assaulted two minutes before that [the police came along] and two days later they interviewed me.”

Magistrates said they had considered everything, including him already being in custody, his previous convictions and the statements from the police and video footage.

They jailed him for six weeks for the offences, but that term will run concurrently to the sentence he’s already serving.

McDonagh was also ordered to pay £50 to each police officer he abused and was given a year to pay the amount.