A Milford man who smashed-in his front door whilst drunk has been given a 12-month conditional discharge in court.
Thirty-nine-year-old Aubrey Robert Phillips, of Mount Estate, pleaded guilty to a charge of damaging a front door at his property, belonging to Pembrokeshire County Council, when he appeared at Haverfordwest magistrates court on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Vaughan Pritchard-Jones told the court that the incident occurred shortly after 2 pm, on August 17, when police officers were called to the defendant’s address by a member of the public, who had seen Mr. Phillips smash a glass panel on his own front door.
“When police arrived at the address, they found a ball-hammer on the floor next to where Mr. Phillips was sitting,” he explained.
Mr. Phillips admitted the offence to police and that he was drunk at the time, stating when interviewed that “I smashed my front door instead of hitting someone.”
“The defendant who was a regular here in court up until 2010, has already seen his father pay for the damage,” continued Mr. Pritchard-Jones.
Defence solicitor Jonathan Webb told the court that his client has stayed out of trouble for the past six years and that he’d been dry of alcohol for seven months.
“Having a drink caused him to act in a somewhat bizarre manner. He had feelings of paranoia and was not feeling mentally well, so since the incident, Mr. Phillips has been working with the mental health team in Pembrokeshire, and has been prescribed new tablets by his GP,” said Mr. Webb.
Magistrates gave Mr. Phillips a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered him to pay prosecution costs of £85 and a £20 victim surcharge.