A Pembroke Dock man saw a charge of causing criminal damage by spraying a door with fake snow melt away.

But Dean Phillips, aged 25, of Kavanagh Court, was jailed for a total of 12 months for other offending.

Nicola Powell, prosecuting, said on December 27 last year Phillips and Colwyn Probert had been drinking in the Three Mariners pub in Tenby.

An incident took place which resulted in both men being ejected and Mr. Probert facing court proceedings against him.

Mr. Probert walked home to find the door to his house had been sprayed in what looked at first like white paint, but turned out to be fake snow.

He realised then that Phillips had been following him. Phillips asked him if ‘we could have a talk,’ but Mr. Probert told him to ‘leave it until tomorrow.’

However, Phillips said ‘no, we are sorting it out now’ and ran at him.

Mr. Probert ran towards his brother’s home, but Phillips caught up with him and punched him to the face. While Mr. Probert was on the ground, Phillips jumped on top of him and hit him with a pair of metal riding stirrups.

A light in a nearby house came on and Phillips ran away.

He admitted assault causing actual bodily harm. He denied criminal damage and possessing an offensive weapon.

Miss Powell said it had been agreed with Phillips’ defence team that the plea of guilty to assault included the use of the stirrups and the fake snow charge would not be continued with.

James Jenkins, the barrister representing Phillips, said he knew it was time he grew up and had been taking steps in that direction.

The judge, Mr. Recorder RA Britton, said he noted that Phillips already had more than 40 previous convictions to his name, some of them for violence.

And at the time of the December 27 attack, he was under not one, but two suspended prison sentences, each of four months in duration.

“The courts have been lenient with you on many occasions,” he added.

Mr. Recorder Britton activated both of the suspended sentences and added four months for the latest offending, making 12 months in total.