A Newtown man who threatened to stab a pub’s staff member and assaulted three women while under the influence of alcohol has been sent to prison after “blatantly” breaching his suspended sentence order.

Stafford Jones, 28, was given a 31-week custodial sentence - triggered when he failed to attend a probation appointment - nine months after he was given a suspended sentence for assaulting another woman in the Liverpool area.

Jones was convicted of assaulting a man and the women in Newtown on December 13 2021 and February 18 this year, and in Milton Keynes on September 18, 2021.

Welshpool Magistrates’ Court heard that at a funeral wake inside the Victoria Vaults pub in Broad Street, Newtown, on February 18 police were called when Jones threatened to “batter” Callum Pratten telling him “I’ll stab you, is that what you want?” after he was recognised as someone who was banned from the pub. Another member of staff, Olive Sutcliffe, was pushed by Jones causing her to hit her back against the bar after she was sworn at by Jones.

Ms Sutcliffe told the court in a statement that the assault has left her wanting to leave Wales and return to the Philippines because she says it has left her “constantly scared”.

On December 13 2021, Jones was asked by Black Boy Wetherspoons bar staff Ava Sherard for his ID before he verbally threatened her saying “I’ll kick you out of the pub. I’ll drink my pint. You can’t make me leave.”

Three months earlier in Milton Keynes, Jones was verbally abusive to a taxi driver when a small group of women intervened. Jones then hit two of the women in the face.

Robert Hanratty, acting for Jones, told the court that the 28-year-old is a “young man that is rather lost at the moment and needs to get back into the community” after losing close family members.

“On both occasions, Mr Jones had gone to the pubs and considered being welcome, and he paid a lot of money for a drink," Mr Hanratty added.

"He hadn’t until that point misbehaved.”

Probation officer Julian Davies said that since Jones was given a suspended sentence order in February this year, rehabilitation had been "slow" and supervision was "very difficult" with him drifting between Newtown and Liverpool. The court heard Jones had 10 convictions for 14 offences ranging from threatening assaults, excess alcohol and violent disorder to drug driving, thefts and batteries.

Nerys Jones, chair of the magistrates' bench, told Jones, of no fixed abode, that he must serve a total of 31 weeks in custody for "your blatant breach of the court order and the assaults were committed on females and on drink".

He will serve half his sentence in custody and the remainder on licence.