A man assaulted four police officers after they "got between him and his drugs", a court has heard.
The constables had gone to the assistance of Ricky Schultz after seeing him in an intoxicated state on a Llanelli street but he responded by spitting at, biting, kicking, and hitting them, including striking one in the face with his own torch. Sending the 33-year-old to prison, a judge said the town was "rife" with drugs, and one only had to take a walk along Station Road to see the effects of drugs on people.
Georgina Buckley, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court that the series of assaults started shortly after midnight on April 27 this year on New Street in the Morfa area of Llanelli. She said two officers on patrol saw the defendant in what appeared to be an intoxicated state, and went to check if he was okay.
She said when the officers told the defendant they were going to search him, the 33-year-old produced some tablets from his pocket and tried to swallow them - the officers tried to stop him and a struggle ensued. During the struggle one of the policemen dropped his torch, and Schultz picked it up and struck him to the face with it. The defendant also tried to bite the other officer on the leg. The defendant was arrested and spat in the face of the arresting officer, with the spittle landing on his cheek.
Due to his state the defendant was taken to Llanelli 's Prince Phillip Hospital for a check up, but he tried to walk out - when an officer grabbed him, Schultz hit the officer and had to be restrained. The defendant was subsequently taken to Llanelli police station where he became "aggressive" while being booked in, and as he was being taken to the cells he bit an officer on the hand though the bite did not break the skin.
Ricky Lee Schultz, of Emma Street, Llanelli, had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of assaulting an emergency worker when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 30 previous convictions for 40 offences including battery and common assault.
Matt Murphy, for Schultz, said his client was in the grips of "quite an aggressive addiction", and that when the officers had approached him on New Street "his only thought had been that they were going to get between him and his drugs". He said the defendant had been put on a detox programme while being held on remand in Swansea prison and was now in a healthier state than he had been before. The advocate added that Schultz was embarrassed about his behaviour on the night in question and wished to apologise to the officers who he now recognised had just been trying to help him and help the public.
Judge Huw Rees said drugs were "rife" in Llanelli, and one only needed to walk down Station Road to see the effects they were having on people. With a one-quarter discount for his guilty pleas Schultz was sentenced to a total of 12 months in prison. He will serve up to half that period in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.
Dyfed-Powys Police were unable to provide a custody photograph of the defendant
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