Violent man sent to jail to protect public
32-year-old has a string of previous convictions
A VIOLENT Newbury man has been jailed to protect the public from him.
The 32-year-old was sent to prison for a total of 16 weeks after Reading magistrates said on Friday that he had shown a “flagrant disregard for people and their property”.
In the dock was Paul Tidbury, formerly of Burchell Road, Newbury, and currently of no fixed address.
Mr Tidbury, who is also known as John Paul Harfield, initially denied assaulting Danny Woods by beating him in Newbury on January 17.
He also denied causing £555.60-worth of criminal damage to a Ford S-MAX belonging to Bryony Spencer and of causing £403.80-worth of criminal damage to a Ford Transit belonging to Mr Woods, both in Newbury on January 18.
Mr Tidbury further pleaded not guilty to assaulting Rebecca Smith, thereby causing her actual bodily harm, in Reading on November 28 last year.
Finally, Mr Tidbury denied causing £600 worth of criminal damage to a Seat Alhambra belonging to Ms Smith on the same occasion.
However, he subsequently changed his mind and admitted all the charges.
Magistrates said they were jailing him for “public protection” and pointed out the offences were aggravated by his previous convictions.
Those convictions included causing criminal damage to a car at Speen Hill Close, Newbury, in 2017, following a trial which heard he had come crashing through a terrified couple’s car windscreen after they annoyed him, showering them in glass.
One witness described the drama as “unreal... like something off the telly” as the pair cowered beneath the attack which left their vehicle a write-off.
Among Tidbury’s other, numerous, previous convictions are offences of assaulting police officers, drink-driving, failing to provide a specimen for analysis and breaking a restraining order imposed for harassing a woman.
He has been jailed several times before.
In December 2017 he had not long been released from custody for a string of other offences when he was sent back to prison for burglary.