Woman suffering psychotic episode had sword in park

A WOMAN suffering a drug-induced psychotic episode was found by police in a park with a kitchen knife and a small Samurai sword, a court has heard.

A judge has said the case illustrated the damage drugs such as cannabis and amphetamine can do to a person’s mind.

Swansea Crown Court heard police were called to Pontardawe on July 2 this year following reports of a domestic incident.

When they got to the address they were told 27-year-old Gemma Marie Janes had armed herself with knives, and had gone.

Firearms officers were deployed, and Janes was found sitting in the playing fields outside Rhos community hall.

Deal Pulling, prosecuting, said Janes was “compliant and co-operative” with the police, and told them about the knives she had – a kitchen knife, a Stanley knife, and an ornamental Samurai sword with a 10-inch blade.

When she was later searched, officers found a small amount of cannabis and traces of amphetamine in a plastic bag.

Janes, of March Hywel, Pontardawe, had previously pleaded guilty to three counts of possessing an offensive weapon, and to two counts of possessing the Class B drugs when she appeared via videolink for sentencing.

The court heard she had previous convictions for assault and wounding with a knife relating to a domestic incident involving her mother and sister, for which she was given a suspended sentence.

Ian Wright, for Janes, said his client had a “troubled early life” and began abusing alcohol and controlled drugs “from a particularly young age”.

He said the psychosis she had been diagnosed with was “drug-induced” rather than organic.

He added that since the New Year’s Day assault on her mother and sister, the family had reconcilled.

Judge Geraint Walters said it was clear the defendant had suffered “some sort of breakdown” on the day in question, and she had to tackle the drug misuse that led to her psychosis.

He said he had read a probation service report into the defendant which concluded there was nothing they could do to help, and which did not recommend any other sentence than one of immediate custody.

The judge said “the only hope” was that when Janes is released from prison she is made the subject of stringent licence conditions that help her to get back on the straight and narrow.

He added that the case illustrated how “recreational drugs” could “play tricks with the mind” and lead to serious problems.

Judge Walters activated eight months of the previously imposed suspended sentence, and imposed a total of eight months for the new offence – the sentences will run consecutively making a total of 16 months.