A man who went on a naked rampage in the street, threatening to sexually assault a dog has been spared jail.

Lewis Butterfield claimed his drink had been spiked with ecstasy when he was seen running about without any clothes on and behaving aggressively.

And when the neighbours’ pet chased him across the road the 26-year-old threatened to sexually assault the animal and kicked out at it.

But after hearing he was reducing his alcohol consumption, had a job, and is doing well on probation a judge decided not to jail him.

Tessa Hingston, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how police were called to Haydon Wick on June 24 last year.

“It was a sunny day in the day time. Officers were called to Cloudberry Road to a report of an aggressive naked male causing problems,” she said.

“The defendant was duly found. He was behaving in a bizarre manner. His speech was slurred, he appeared to be foaming at the mouth.”

She said CCTV footage showed him streaking across the road followed by a neighbours and their dog, which he appeared to kick out at.

Playing the recording she said “That is Mr Butterfield naked, apparently challenging other members of the public and local residents.

“He was alleged to have made offensive comments to the effect that he would sexually assault the dog.”

He was detained by officers and after telling about the drugs he had been slipped he was taken to the Great Western Hospital.

When he was discharged following treatment he got into a taxi wearing a hospital gown and nothing else and asked to go to ‘by Asda’. During the journey he kept challenging the driver to a fight and asking him if he was Turkish, to which he replied he was from Swindon.

When he pulled over the defendant got out and started punching the window of the cab leading to the driver pulling away without his £12.70p fare.

Following his arrest Butterfield said his drink had been spiked, which had happened to him before.

Butterfield, of White Eagle Road, pleaded guilty to threatening behaviour, common assault, and making off without paying for the taxi.

Ian Fenny, defending, said since the offences his client had been doing well on his probation order and started the building better relationships programme.

He said he earns good money and is paying for the upbringing of his child from a previous relationship and has a new partner.

Mr Fenny said he was ashamed of what he did that day both in the street and to the taxi driver, pointing out the assault was not physical but putting him in fear. While he did not excuse his behaviour he said there was not a sexual element to it and pointed out the neighbours with the dog were chasing him.

Passing sentence Judge Jason Taylor QC extended the previous 16 week suspended sentence by six months and added eight weeks to it and told him to do 100 hours of unpaid work.

Butterfield was also told to complete a six months curfew, pay the taxi driver £750 compensation, £500 costs and banned him from the Woodlands Edge pub.