AN ABERYSTWYTH man who undertook a series of assaults on police officers amid a slew of other crimes in the town on one day earlier this year has been jailed by magistrates.

Shea Hollywell, of Tŷ Nesaf, Queens Road, appeared before Aberystwyth Magistrates’ Court on 19 October for sentencing.

The 25-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to seven charges at an earlier hearing – all stemming from incidents in Aberystwyth on 28 August this year.

Hollywell pleaded guilty to four separate assaults on police officers, including the common assaults of PC Roberts and PS Hawksworth, and the assaults by beating of PC Roberts and PC Barnsley.

The officers were responding to Hollywell stealing cans of alcoholic drinks from the town’s Tesco store – a charge Hollywell also admitted.

Hollywell also pleaded guilty to possession of a quantity of diazepam tablets and the possession of 1.5 grams of cannabis.

Sentencing Hollywell to a total of 16 weeks in prison, magistrates said that the offences were “so serious that only a custodial sentence can be justified”.

Magistrates said the incident were “an unprovoked attack of a serious nature”, and that Hollywell “has a flagrant disregard for people and their property”.

The sentence was uplifted due to the assaults being on emergency workers, the court heard.

Hollywell was also ordered to pay a total of £100 in compensation as well as a surcharge of £154.