A DRUNK man caught running down the middle of Argyle Street then attacked a police officer.

On March 19 last year Matthew Gallagher was spotted around 1am by police running in the road and unsteady on his feet.

Glasgow Sheriff Court was told that a short time later police came across him again, this time standing in the middle of the road on Argyle Street.

They suspected he was under the influence and tried to speak to him.

Due to his erratic behaviour he was asked to step in to the police van while a search was being carried out.

But the 22-year-old shouted: “Have youse got f****** nothing better to do? F******* idiots.”

He was asked several times to calm down but refused to do so.

Another police officer tried to enter the van to take hold of him, at which point he leaned back and started kicking out with legs, striking the police officer to the legs twice.

Gallagher, from Govanhill, was shouting: “F*** off you baldy bastard. Get f****** off me, youse are f****** beasts.”

The court heard Gallagher alternated between “maniacally screaming threats” at the police and “breaking down into hysterical crying”.

Due to his erratic behaviour he was taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary.

During the journey he persisted in calling police “c****” and “beasts” and making several nonsensical statements.

His defence agent said: “He has had a difficult childhood and issues with substance abuse.”

Gallagher was placed on a structured deferred sentence for six months.