A prisoner smeared blood all over a police van and urinated on the floor of his cell after being arrested.

Simon Drewry felt aggrieved after he was arrested in Llandrindod Wells on January 31 this year, despite claiming he’d been attacked with a knife.

The 42-year-old’s nose was described as “pouring” with blood following the incident – but he was arrested by officers and taken into custody.

Llandrindod Wells Magistrates Court heard that Drewry was placed inside a caged police vehicle and taken to Brecon Police Station. On the way he smeared blood all over the walls, floor and ceiling of the vehicle and he was also captured on CCTV smearing blood on the walls of his cell while in custody – as well as urinating on the floor. Dyfed Powys Police were left with a £276 bill to clean up the mess.

At his hearing on Wednesday, July 7, Drewry, of Temple Drive, Llandrindod, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal damage.

Prosecutor Stephen Davies said Drewry was arrested for unrelated matters when police were called to an address in the Troed y Rhiw area of Llandrindod.

“Officers say that when they arrested the defendant they could see blood coming from his nose,” said Mr Davies.

“They placed him in a caged van and he was unhappy about being there. He smeared blood from his nose on the walls, floor and ceiling of the van. He told officers he was going to do it and told them to ‘clean that up’.

“Later on, on CCTV in the police station, he could be seen urinating on the floor of his cell and blood was smeared on the walls.

“In interview he accepted he’d had blood coming from his nose. He said it hadn’t deliberately been smeared on the inside of the van. He made no comment on the incident in the cell.”

Mr Davies said Drewry had been made the subject of a suspended jail sentence for assaulting an emergency worker earlier this year. On that occasion he kicked and spat at a police officer while in handcuffs, an incident that also occurred in Brecon, on March 22. Mr Davies said these new offences pre-date the March offence.

Acting for Drewry, Owain Jones said his client admitted he was in the wrong but said he’d taken his frustrations out on the police.

“He accepts he behaved badly and behaved wrongly,” said Mr Jones.

“But I have some sympathy for the defendant. He was the victim of an attack where someone brandished a knife and slashed his nose. But rather than being helped he was arrested, which aggrieved him.

“He had been expecting to go to hospital but was instead taken to the police station. He has since been to hospital in Merthyr and the injury to his nose required an operation.

“The people who attacked him were not arrested, which also exacerbated the situation. There was blood pouring from his nose and he would have been all over the place in the back of the police van, as police were driving at speed.

“He accepts he did smear the blood though and he accepts this was the case at the police station too. His frustrations got the better of him.”

Drewry was given a four-week jail sentence for each offence, to be served concurrently, but suspended for 12 months.

Chair of magistrates Angela George told him: “This was a deliberate act of criminal damage.

“We have seen the evidence and it is not a minor incident. There was a significant clean-up cost and it was not a nice job for the cleaner and there was a risk of transmission. It was also aggravated by your record and it also occurred during Covid times. This is so serious, only custody is appropriate.”

Drewry was ordered to pay £276 compensation, plus £85 costs and a £128 surcharge.