A man who punched a PCSO in the face after breaching an order banning him from Llanelli town centre has been jailed.
Richard Gregory erupted when approached by the PCSO in Church Street on Monday, June 8, punching him in the face and causing bruising and bleeding.
Further injuries were caused when the 46-year-old resisted arrest, with the PCSO suffering cuts to his hands and arms.
The incident comes a few months after Gregory, of no fixed abode, assaulted a police officer by spitting in his face – an incident which was taken into consideration during sentencing.
Sergeant Mike Ross said: “The PCSO had been on patrol when he saw Gregory in the town centre, and knew he had previously been issued with a notice not to be in the area.
“Gregory immediately became irate and verbally abusive, and he had to be warned about his behaviour due to members of the public being present.
“He continued with his abusive behaviour, and attempted to run off. When the PCSO caught up with him, he was assaulted.”
The PCSO called for assistance, and Gregory was arrested and taken to custody. Gregory was charged with assaulting an emergency worker and an offence under the Public Order Act.
He appeared at Swansea Magistrates’ Court on June 9 and was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison.
As the defendant had been handed a suspended sentence for the previous offence in October, he was sentenced to a further eight weeks in prison.
He will serve a total sentence of 26 weeks.
Sgt Ross said: “Thankfully in this incident, our PCSO did not suffer serious injuries and was able to remain on duty.
“However, that does not detract from the fact that he was assaulted while on duty, an offence we take incredibly seriously.
“We will not tolerate assaults or abusive behaviour towards emergency service workers, who are carrying out their duty to protect the public.
“We would like to thank the court for their support. The length of custodial sentence reflects the seriousness of the incident.”
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