BRICK THROWING ‘IDIOT’ JAILED AFTER DEFYING SUSPENDED SENTENCE
Man, 30, breached order by shouting abuse and threats at neighbours
ALCOHOLIC Stephen Mangan has been jailed after spurning a chance given to him by a court.
The 30-year-old was handed a six-month jail sentence, suspended for 12 months, in June after he admitted producing cannabis.
But by mid-august he breached the order by shouting abuse and threats at neighbours and picking up a hammer and throwing it at one of them.
Now the judge who gave Mangan a chance in June has activated the sentence in full at Stoke-on-trent Crown Court.
Prosecutor Andrew Wilkins said Mangan was handed the suspended sentence on June 4 after police found 34 cannabis plants at his Hanley home, and he admitted producing a class B drug.
But the defendant was drunk outside flats in Casewell Road, Sneyd Green, at 9pm on August 17 when he was challenged by a neighbour for talking to himself and kicking bins.
Mr Wilkins said: “He called her a slag and was abusive to her husband.
“He began throwing bricks and was trying to damage property, including another neighbour’s car.
“He armed himself with a hammer and said, ‘I am coming to get you. I know where you live, but you do not know where I live’.
“They called the police as they were concerned for their safety.
He threw the hammer towards someone else.
“He was erratic and shouting abuse at neighbours when police arrived. He was abusive to the officers. He threatened to find their home addresses and their families.”
Mangan, of Mulgrave Street, Hanley, pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour and breaching a suspended sentence order.
Adam Watkins, mitigating, said Mangan concedes he acted like an idiot.
Mr Watkins said: “He considers himself to be an alcoholic.”
He said shortly after being given the suspended sentence, Mangan lost his job as a scaffolder, and his home.
Mr Watkins said: “He went back into a routine of excessive drinking. He has no settled address.”
Judge Sally Hancox said: “The difficulty you know you face is you were given an opportunity by way of a suspended sentence in June, and in mid-august you acted in defiance of that.
“It was a fairly unpleasant example of a public order offence. You were clearly under the influence of alcohol.
“Your behaviour towards those in your immediate vicinity must have been frightening, your poor choice of words, throwing bricks, making threats to damage property, throwing a hammer towards someone else.
“There has to be a custodial sentence because the suspended sentence had been in place for such a short time.”