Assault: James Barnes has avoided jail after attacking three female police officers and a bouncer two days after his mother's memorial service

The son of late News At Ten presenter Carol Barnes narrowly avoided jail today after assaulting three female police officers and a bouncer at a bar during a drunken bender.

Philosophy graduate James Thomson, 26, was on a bender with friends two days after his mother's memorial service, and had drunk half a bottle of vodka when he 'kicked off'.

He was today electronically tagged and ordered to do 200 hours community service after admitting five counts of assault and using threatening words.

Trouble started when staff at the trendy Freebutt bar in Brighton, East Sussex, spotted the 'troubled' philosophy graduate smoking indoors and asked him to leave - but he refused.

Prosecutor Annette Mulrooney said: 'As he was being escorted out, he became verbally abusive and aggressive to the door staff, and tried to force his way back in.

'During the struggle, he assaulted one of the doormen by punching him repeatedly to the head.

'He then ran off and police were called, but just when the doorman thought it was all over, Thomson returned and punched him hard in the face, connecting with his jaw.

'Police tried to arrest him but he resisted violently. Friends tried to intervene, but the situation became increasingly more and more violent as he tried to escape.

'A large unit of officers were called to the scene and one of them, PC Jodie White, was thrown to the ground by Thomson.

Family tragedy: The late News At Ten presenter with her daughter Clare, who died in a skydiving accident in 2004

'He also punched PC Helen Wilkinson in the face, and barged into PC Jemma Adams, knocking her to the ground.'

Thomson was eventually subdued with pepper spray. Officers later described his behaviour as 'deranged'.

Brighton Magistrates Court heard Mr Russell suffered painful swelling to his face, a cut to his left ear and bruising and cuts to his head.

PC White needed hospital treatment after the incident and was placed on light duties for several weeks.

In a statement she said: 'The man was incredibly strong and wanted to continue fighting with officers.

'The incident left me shaken, and after the assault I was unable to properly support my colleagues.

'My injuries could have been far worse. I was lucky they were not.' 

Kevin Light, defending, said Thomson was having trouble coming to terms with his mother's death, and felt unable to grieve privately because of the media attention.

Barnes family: A young James (bottom right) with mother Carol, father Nigel Thomson, and sister Clare

He said: 'He is very sorry about what happened, and is genuinely contrite. He knows his behaviour was terrible on that night.

'He accepts it is not a justification or an excuse, but by way of explanation he says he was under pressure following the recent death of his mother.

'Some people are able to grieve for their loved ones in private, but because of who his mother was, he did not have this luxury.' 

Magistrate Trish Long told him: 'This was an extremely violent, unprovoked incident. You had an argument with a bouncer then returned on at least two occasions to assault him.

'You also assaulted three police officers in the execution of their duty.' 

Thomson was given a four-month prison sentence for each of the charges he admitted, to run concurrently - but it was suspended for two years.

He was ordered to pay a total of £400 compensation to his victims and ordered to pay £60 costs.

At her funeral in March, attended by familiar faces from the world of television news, Thomson - whose father is ITN cameraman Nigel Thomson - said: 'Many of you will know that my teenage years were fraught with difficulty and pain for all those involved.

'She made me care, she made me love, she opened the world to me. If it wasn't for this, only God knows where I'd be now.' 

'Although it was a difficult time for everyone involved, my mum to a large degree bore the brunt of it and for this I'm deeply sorry.' 

Ms Barnes, described as 'a national treasure' by former partner Denis MacShane MP, died in March following a stroke.

She was the face of ITV news for nearly 30 years until her world collapsed when daughter Clare, 24, was killed in a sky-diving accident in Melbourne four years ago.