A SINGER who topped the charts in the 90s has avoided jail after slapping a female police officer in the face during a drunken attack.
Antonio Di Bartolomeo, 58, assaulted Jessica Howells after police were called to his home in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
The singer, who reached No1 in the charts with song The Real Thing under his stage name Tony Di Bart, was pepper-sprayed during the arrest.
Di Bartolomeo was today handed a 12-month community order after he was found guilty of assault by beating an emergency worker.
He was also ordered to carry out 20 days of rehabilitation activities and pay £200 compensation as well as a furthrr £700 in court costs.
Reading Magistrates' Court heard police had been called to his home on February 28 after he sent a video to his partner of him damaging her furniture.
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Officers were attempting to handcuff Di Bartolomeo as he was drunk when he lashed out at PC Howells.
Giving evidence, she said: "I took hold of his arm which was in front of him, my colleague, I believe, took his other arm, he was arrested in relation to the offences.
"We tried to get the defendant's arms behind his back – however, due to his size we were unable to do that.
"We were in a really tight area of the house, a little corridor, so I drew my captor spray.
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"I felt a hand go around my face and pull my face. I felt like a smack and then a grab, I was trying to get his arm behind his back so I could get the handcuffs on him."
In police bodycam footage, the cop can be heard saying "ow" when Di Bartolomeo "smacked" her in the face.
He then asks: "What have you done? You're in my house. I've doe nothing wrong".
Di Bartolomeo claimed he was trying to protect his face from the spray officers had used and denied grabbing PC Howells.
He added: "I've never raised a hand against a woman in my life. There were hands all around me, holding me and everything else, once they did that (captor spray) my eyes stayed closed.
"There was no putting my hand out and grabbing her face, that didn't happen."
Di Bartolomeo previously admitted using threatening/abusive words/behaviour with intent to cause harassment, alarm or distress .
He also pleaded guilty to racially/religiously aggravated intentional harassment/alarm/distress and criminal damage.
This was in relation to two separate incidents in March where he racially abused a male and female police officer.
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