A TRAINEE firefighter is to resign after violently struggling with police who were trying to arrest him for drunken behaviour at Darwen Music Live.

Blackburn magistrates were told that Daniel Craig Wilson was intent on fighting with a group of men after an eight-hour drinking binge.

As a female officer took hold of him he pulled away so sharply that his shirt was ripped off, breaking her finger in the process, and he then resisted as she and another officer tried to restrain him.

Wilson, 20, of Sarah Street, Darwen, pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour and resisting PC Susan Moore.

He was fined £250 with £15 costs and ordered to pay the officer £350 compensation.

Pat Bramley, prosecuting, said police had come across an incident involving two groups of men in Railway Road at about 8.45pm.

There were two men throwing punches and one of them was Wilson.

When PC Moore approached him he produced his retained firefighter card from his wallet but did not answer when the officer asked why he was behaving in such a manner.

“When a member of the other group walked past Wilson reacted by taking up a fighting stance,” said Miss Bramley.

“The officer was concerned about an escalating public order situation and decided to arrest him.”

Miss Bramley said that after struggling violently Wilson escaped from the officers and ran off.

Jonathan Taylor, defending, said Wilson had let himself, his family and the fire service down badly.

He said: “He accepts that he has behaved wholly inappropriately and his conduct was far below that of someone in his position.”

He said Wilson was a probationary retained fire fighter and was also doing a fire and rescue service management course at Blackburn University.

“The fire service cannot tolerate his disorderly behaviour or the fact he has made the job of a police officer far more difficult,” said Mr Taylor.

“His employers have indicated that the best option is for him to resign and when these offences are spent he may have the opportunity to reapply.”