JAILED: Alcoholic who brandished knife at police after setting fire to aerosol can in drunken rampage

Daniel Douglas, who breached a suspended sentence when he went on the drunken rampage at the P3 Hostel in Tipton on May 15, was told by a judge it was time for him to serve the length of sentence he should have served years ago.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard the 25-year-old was living in supported accommodation for people with complex needs in Cooperage Court, Parkes Lane, when he started to cause trouble at a nearby shop.

Mr David Lees, prosecuting, said Douglas was heavily intoxicated when police arrived and returned him to his apartment in the hostel.

"He continued to cause problems back at the hostel," said Mr Lees. "He went onto the landing with a lighter and lit an aerosol can, producing a flame."

When police returned to the property Douglas had barricaded himself inside his apartment using furniture to block an external door, Mr Lees continued.

He added: "Officers eventually moved in and saw him standing in the hallway adopting an aggressive stance. He had both arms raised and was holding a kitchen knife, shouting various threats towards the police."

The court was told Douglas was eventually disarmed after police used a taser on him.

Defending, Mr Earl Pinnock said his client had been involved in persistent alcohol abuse and had recently suffered a bereavement at the time of the incident.

"He clearly regrets his actions and has expressed real sorrow for the hurt he caused on this day," he added. "He is still living in the accommodation where the incident took place. Staff there believe there is real hope for him."

The court heard Douglas had a string of previous convictions dating back to 2009, the most recent of which involved a breach of a suspended sentence for burglary he had received in June 2013.

Douglas, of Cooperage Court, Tipton, admitted affray.

Sentencing him to eight months custody for affray and an additional six months for the breach, Judge Michael Dudley told him: "Suspended sentences and community orders clearly don't work with you.

"The time has come for you to serve the length of sentence you should have served years ago to prove to you that the court means business."

Before he was taken down to the cells, the defendant shook his head in apparent disbelief and gesticulated towards the judge.