A Bath man who admitted being drunk and disorderly and causing damage to an Avon & Somerset Police vehicle has been thrown “one last lifeline” by city magistrates after his offending breached a suspended jail sentence.
On Wednesday, 11th June, the court heard that on 16th May at 5pm, police received a call from a member of the public about the aggressive behaviour of a man at Balustrade in Bath.
Ten minutes later, the police received another call to say that the situation had escalated.
Police turned up at 5.30pm and found Anthony Duffety leaning against Magic Scissors barbers.
He threw his shirt at them and made as if to punch an officer. He was arrested and put in a police vehicle, where he spat. The vehicle had to be professionally deep-cleaned at a cost of £400 as the police understood that Duffety had hepatitis C, although this was disputed by the defendant.
Magistrates were told that Duffety, of Grosvenor Place, has 34 previous convictions for 49 offences and is now twice in breach of a 12-week suspended sentence which was imposed in April last year and extended after further offending earlier this year.
The prosecution asked for £85 costs and £400 compensation to the police for the cleaning bill.
Duffety’s solicitor, Mark O’Donnell, told the court that Duffety could not remember the incident on 16th May but accepted that he spat.
He said Duffety had a “very extensive” list of previous convictions, but none were for violence and most were “low level”.
Mr O’Donnell said Duffety currently has accommodation but had lived as a street alcoholic, including for a spell of 10 years. In recent months, he has managed to stop drinking on a daily basis and is now a “binge drinker”.
Mr O’Donnell said Duffety, who had last received help from the Probation Service in 2013, could do with getting professional help now to enable him to turn a corner and abstain from alcohol, as he considers himself “too old” to be living on the streets.
Magistrates agreed not to activate the suspended sentence that day but to give Duffety the opportunity to engage with the Probation Service.
Chair of the bench Anthony Davies described it as “one last lifeline”.
Duffety will return to the court on 17th September for sentencing.
