A Crown Court judge has questioned police officers’ repeated decisions to release a criminal under investigation after the 25-year-old continued to subject Pontarddulais to a 12-month onslaught of crime.

“The people of Pontarddulais deserve a lengthy break from your activities” Judge Thomas told Swansea Crown Court after hearing the case involving Jake Barry Thomas.

“In my opinion you should have been remanded in custody at the end of 2020.”

The first offence took place on August 31, 2020, when a witness saw an altercation on Cedar Avenue between the driver of a Ford Fiesta and a pedestrian.

The driver, Thomas, revved the engine then drove into the pedestrian, knocking him to the ground before driving over him.

Thomas then sped off, colliding with a number of parked cars. As a result, the victim suffered cuts and bruising to his legs and stomach.

The defendant was arrested a week later but was released under investigation.

On March 13, 2021 Thomas was one of three males who chased and a man through Pontarddulais; they assaulted him, knocked him to the ground and repeatedly punched and kicked him as he lay on the pavement.

Three days later Thomas was one of three people seen smashing the windows of a parked car with a baseball bat.

After being questioned by police, he was yet again released but later that evening broke he into a house destroying furniture and a television.

Thomas then went on to threaten and intimidate two witnesses connected to his offending, shouting threats at them, driving up to a man as he walked along the street and threatening to kill him.

Thomas was finally arrested when police traced him to a house in Plasmarl, Swansea on July 7.

Thomas, of Woodford Road, Blaenymaes, Swansea, pleaded guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, dangerous driving, affray, criminal damage, burglary, attempting to pervert the course of justice, and two counts of witness intimidation when he appeared in the dock for sentencing.

He was sentenced to three years in prison.

He will serve up to half of the three years in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. The defendant was banned from driving for a total of 30 months.