A POLICE officer's career hangs in the balance after he was convicted and sentenced for kicking a drunk during an arrest.

PC Andrew Davison, who was sentenced to do 200 hours unpaid community service by Judge Stephen Earl yesterday, is lodging an immediate appeal against his conviction for common assault.

He has been suspended since shortly after an incident at a Durham City taxi rank a year ago.

CCTV cameras caught PC Andrew Davison twice kicking Thomas Robertson as he lay on the ground struggling with other officers in North Road.

The 32-year-old officer, from Doxford Park, Sunderland, had denied the assault charge but was found guilty after a two-day trial last month when the judge ruled that he had used excessive force.

He was also ordered to pay £600 costs.

Passing sentence at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court yesterday, Judge Earl said: "If, in fact, Mr Davison were to lose his job, and I trust that could well be, I think that is sad because I do believe this was a likely one off occasion. Mr Davison is an exceptional police officer.

"I take into account his excellent service record, the fact that there has been no previous problem and he is of good character.

"Kicking someone - who is on the ground, who is under arrest and there is a small amount of struggling - is too far."

PC Davison had been called to the taxi rank in the early hours of November 26 last year to assist a colleague, PC Colin Goodchild.

Durham City centre's CCTV network captured images of the arrest and civilian staff monitoring the footage reported PC Davison to his superiors.

Mr Robertson, 35, a contractor working with Northumbrian Water, at Langley Moor, was subsequently fined £125 by North Durham magistrates for resisting arrest and for being drunk and disorderly.

The court heard that Mr Robertson had said he did not want to see PC Davison jailed.

A Durham Constabulary spokesman said: "PC Davison remains suspended. A review of the situation will be carried out in the immediate future."