MAGISTRATES want a psychiatric report compiled before they sentence a Powys woman for causing almost £15,000 worth of damage following a spate of vandalism in recent months.

Katrina Duffin went on a spree of criminal damage on February 22 this year in Builth Wells, smashing windows at three shop premises on the high street, including an off-licence, takeaway shop and barbers. The amount of damage caused resulted in £8-9,000 of damage being caused.

Duffin, 35, then threatened one of the victimised businessowners, telling him she would cause further damage if repairs were carried out, on April 15, while on Saturday, July 9, she caused more than £5,000 worth of damage by smashing windows of a BMW.

When due to be sentenced at Merthyr Tydfil Magistrates' Court on Thursday, July 14, the bench instead ordered a psychiatric report to be prepared on Duffin, of Parc-Y-Castell, Builth.

She was further remanded and will return to court on August 3 for sentencing. Magistrates refused bail as they feared she would be likely to re-offend, interfere with witnesses or otherwise obstruct the course of justice, as well as because of the nature and seriousness of the offences.

Duffin previously entered guilty pleas to all five charges she faced on July 11.

The three February offences include destroying a door valued between £6-7,000 belonging to the Builth Food and Wine Store; destroying a window and sign worth £1,628 belonging to Eazy Cutz and causing £500 of damage to a window at Kebab 2000.

On April 15, Duffin admitted threatening Nitan Patel, telling him “If you fix it I’ll smash it again, until you go away from here” in relation to a window belonging to him. The July 9 incident involved her destroying the front driver and passenger windows of a blue BMW valued at over £5,000 belonging to Benjamin Jones.