A MAN who racially and religiously abused a Dyfed Powys Police officer while in custody has been handed a suspended jail sentence.

In a rare case, Joshua Dale Palethorpe was found guilty of both the racial and religious harassment of Dyfed Powys Police officer, PCSO Piotr Glowczyk, and sentenced to a period of 5 months in prison – the term was suspended for a year by the bench sitting at Llanelli Magistrates' Court last Thursday, October 6.

Palethorpe, 28, was convicted of all six charges he faced at an earlier hearing.

In addition to the racial and religious harassment charge, the defendant was also convicted of causing criminal damage to a force vehicle, a Ford Transit van, by spitting in it.

Both of these offences occurred in Brecon on Friday, September 30, after Palethorpe, of Weatheroak Hill, Alvechurch, near Birmingham, had been arrested in Llanelli for three earlier counts of criminal damage, as well as threatening behaviour, the previous day.

Palethorpe damaged wing mirrors of a Ford Transit van, a Renault van and a Nissan Duke belonging to Ross Owen, IWEC International Ltd and Hayden Butler-Alsop respectively; all of which were parked on Bryn Road, Llanelli. It was at this same location that he was convicted of using threatening behaviour.

At his sentencing hearing last week, magistrates told Palethorpe that he would serve 16 weeks for the racial and religious harassment of PCSO Glowczyk, with a consecutive term of four weeks added for the damage to the police vehicle in Brecon. The 5 months will be suspended for 12 months.

They said they had opted for custody as it was a racially aggravated offence committed while the defendant was subject to licence conditions and that the offences were aggravated by the defendant's record of previous offending and lack of engagement with probation.

As part of the suspended sentence order he must complete 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days. He must also pay compensation of £130 to Dyfed Powys Police.

For the three criminal damage incidents in Llanelli, Palethorpe was given three separate prison sentences of 4 weeks – these will run concurrent to the 5-month suspended term.

He must pay IWEC International Ltd £447 compensation and £125 compensation to Mr Butler-Alsop. He also has to pay a £154 surcharge and £85 costs – meaning a total financial penalty of £941.

There was no separate penalty for threatening behaviour.