Telford man who threw missiles at police and demanded visit from Rishi Sunak in eight-hour 'siege' is jailed
A man who launched a series of household objects as well as racist abuse at police during an 'eight-hour siege' at his flat has been jailed for a total of 28 months.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard that after Darren Jones was arrested on April 1 he smeared a cell at Malinsgate Police Station with his own faeces.
Jones, of Leicester Way, Leegomery, was released on bail, then just a few weeks later on April 16 was arrested again for smashing a neighbour's window with a hammer.
The court on Friday was told that Jones was taken to the Princess Royal Hospital to be helped only for him to throw urine at officers, splashing one of them in the face.
Jas Dhaliwal, prosecuting, said that during the incident on April 1 Jones had launched a racist tirade at two male police officers and also insulted a female officer.
He also threw items from a window and made threats with a vacuum cleaner pipe that officers initially thought was a firearm aimed at them.
Mr Dhaliwal said Jones had also demanded that the then Prime Minister Rishi Sunak should visit him and pay £10m.
Jones, aged 40, was following proceedings with his head bowed via a video link from Hewell Prison.
On April 16 he was heard "aggressively" banging around in his flat and confronted neighbours, including smashing their window with a hammer.
“He told one of his neighbours 'I'm going to smash your face in and kill you and your dog,'” Mr Dhaliwal said.
Jones then launched wood and metal objects at police from his flat window and appeared to be “slurring and unsteady", the court was told.
Police forced entry to his flat, arrested him and took him to the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford for treatment.
“While in the resuscitation ward he made threats, urinated into cardboard tubes and threw it over the hospital bed,” said the prosecutor.
He then threw another tube of urine at a police officer, hitting him in the face, and was recorded as saying that he was “glad he threw **** over him.”
The court was told that Jones has 43 previous convictions for 96 offences including three for violence, seven for criminal damage, 13 public order offences and 10 assaults on police.
But the court heard that his last offence was a common assault six years ago.
Behaviour was a 'cry for help'
Lee Masters, defending, said: “It is sad that his life went off track again, hence these offences.”
He said the offending on April 1 was a “cry for help” and even Jones was “amazed that he was given bail.”
Jones had pleaded guilty to his offences, Mr Masters added.
Judge Recorder Anthony Warner said he had a “very strong impression” that Jones' offending had been because he had not taken his medication.
“April 1 was akin to a siege situation where the police had to come and they remained at the scene for over eight hours and received a variety of threats including some terrible racial abuse.”
He added that he had also been 'surprised' that Jones had been released on bail.
The judge accepted that Jones had himself suffered abuse in his life, and had struggled to hold down a job.
“He has been using heroin and other drugs since he was aged 13,” said the judge.
A psychiatric report detailed that Jones was “emotionally unstable” and has a personality disorder.
The judge handed down an 11-month prison sentence for three offences committed on April 1, with eight months for affray, one month concurrent for criminal damage of a police cell, and three months consecutive for racially abusing two police officers.
For the offences committed on April 16, Jones received 13 months for affray, 13 months to run consecutively for making threats with a hammer, one month concurrent for criminal damage to the window, and two months consecutive for assaulting emergency workers.
The judge decided that the total sentences handed down for April 1 and April 16 should run concurrently to each other, making 28 months in total.
Jones was told he should serve half his term in prison and the rest on licence in the community.
The judge said he hoped that “the probation service can keep an eye on you to see if they can provide assistance.”
Jones was also handed indefinite restraining orders and three knives, three hammers, a screwdriver and pliers will be destroyed. He will also have to pay a victims' surcharge.
As the hearing ended Jones was heard to ask the judge “how much have I got” before Recorder Warner ordered the live video and audio feed to the prison to be cut.