Fleetwood man is jailed after racking up six lockdown penalty fines

Jack Jones believed the police were picking on him and when they halted him for a seventh time he lost his temper and ran off.

Plain-clothed officers caught up with him and had to use pepper spray to calm the 20-year-old down after he tried to film them on his phone and hurled homophobic abuse at them.

Now, Jones of Grange Road, Fleetwood will not have the opportunity to roam free after he was jailed for 12 weeks by District Judge Jane Goodwin sitting at Blackpool Magistrates Court.

Appearing before magistrates earlier today, she told him: ”With six fixed penalty it is no wonder you came to the attention of the police.”

Jones admitted threatening behaviour towards the officers and illegally possessing a cannabis joint.

Pam Smith, prosecuting, said that Jones had initially clashed with one police officer as he walked down the street.

He was questioning Jones about breaching Covid regulations. The officer was worried about his own safety and called for back-up. When his colleague arrived Jones tried to run off .

Steven Townley defending said: ”He has had six fixed penalty notices all of which he has put in the bin.”

“He believes he was being targeted by police even though he was only going to the shop for food or for a walk on the Esplanade.

“He would suddenly surrounded by officers and kept thinking he was being picked on.

“This time he lost the plot. He accepts using homophobic language but it was just off the cuff. He knows the officers are not gay or transgender.