A POWYS man has been jailed for 20 months following “disgraceful” assaults on a total of 11 police officers, carried out on separate occasions.
Jonathan Corrington, 22, from Brecon, also attacked an NHS security guard at a hospital following his arrest for an initial offence in May last year – on that occasion he attacked a total of nine Dyfed-Powys Police officers.
Corrington then went on the run in July 2022 and failed to attend an initial sentencing hearing, prompting a nationwide manhunt. He was subsequently charged with three more assaults on police officers – two on the same officer – and has been in prison ever since.
At Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Thursday, March 16, Corrington, of Little Free Street, Brecon, was jailed for a total of 20 months. As he has already spent around eight months on remand, it is likely he could be freed in May.
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In sentencing Corrington, Judge Richard Twomlow described his offending as “disgraceful incidents” and said he had acted in an “uncontrolled and very violent way”.
Andrew Taylor, representing the defendant, said: “This is a complicated case and he’s had a complicated upbringing.”
Corrington, who previously admitted 12 charges of assaulting emergency workers, was originally set to be sentenced in September but it was repeatedly delayed for pre-sentence and psychological reports.
Corrington was initially arrested after police were called to reports that a male had assaulted a female at Ystradgynlais Bus Station on May 19.
That led to a series of events which led to a total of nine different police officers being assaulted, including at the scene, at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, then at Brecon Police Station where he was detained.
He punched, bit and spat in the faces of officers at the three locations.
The officers Corrington assaulted over May 19 and 20 were Sergeants John Cross and Andrew Rogers and PCs Matthew Humphreys, Sara Richards, Carwyn Evans, Nick Jenkins, Matthew Owen, Adam Jones and Andrew Greensmith.
On July 10 last year, he admitted assaulting Sergeant Stuart and two separate assaults against PC Evans, in Brecon.
Judge Twomlow said an original pre-sentence report written by probation officer Alison Price had been amended several times and also referred to a psychiatric report.
“This is a complex case," he said. "I am encouraged by some of the things you said to your probation officer and the steps you have taken in custody as well.
“The fact is there are a very large number of assaults on police officers and a larger number than anyone could have anticipated in a single case.
“There are nine assaults on police officers, which included kicking and spitting. You were behaving in an uncontrolled and very violent way. You assaulted an NHS security guard at Morriston Hospital."
Judge Twomlow added: “You clearly have mental health issues and there are difficulties with you being dealt within the community. I feel it best to impose a determinate prison sentence.”
Corrington was handed a total sentence of 20 months, with half in jail and the rest on licence.
“It would have been 30 months had you not pleaded guilty,” Judge Twomlow added.
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