A DONYATT teenager accused of assaulting a police officer when he went to arrest him for committing alleged criminal damage offences at his family home has elected to stand trial at Taunton Crown Court.

Elliott Watson was said to have caused damage to a pair of bi-fold doors belonging at the home address and also caused hundreds of pounds worth of damage to his brother’s car.

When reported to police, an officer attended the address and became involved in a struggle with the defendant, who was then said to have assaulted him.

The 19-year-old defendant, appeared in the dock before Somerset Magistrates, sitting at Yeovil.

He pleaded not guilty that on June 7 at Donyatt he assaulted an acting Police Sergeant, acting in his functions as such an emergency worker, by beating him.

He was also charged with causing £800 of damage to a set of bi-fold doors belonging to his dad.

He was also alleged to have caused damage of £1,500 to a Honda Civic belonging to his brother during the same incident.

No pleas were entered to these.

Prosecutor Emma Lenanton said when Watson was arrested for the alleged criminal damage matters he pushed the police officer and became involved in a struggle while being restrained.

Defending solicitor Sam Morton said his client had been acting in self-defence and questioned if the officer had been acting as an emergency worker at the time.

Watson elected to stand trial at Taunton Crown Court and in the meantime his bail conditions preventing him from contacting his family and going to their home were lifted following a request from them that they wanted to support him.

The magistrates adjourned the case until July 22 when the defendant must appear before a judge at the crown court.