A teenager branded a drunken yob' by a judge has been jailed for 23 months for a string of violent crimes.

Aaron Gleed attacked his step father, assaulted an innocent passer by, hit policemen and damaged property during a year long period of offending.

Now the 18-year-old has been jailed for what a judge sitting at Swindon crown court described as his yobbish behaviour'.

Lucia Whittle-Martin, prosecuting, told how Gleed's nine offences were committed on three occasions during the 12 months up to January this year.

She said the first incident took place on a Friday evening in January last year when the defendant was still only 17 years old.

Steven Wilcox was in his car with pal Stuart Eaton-Caffen where they were picking up an Indian take away on Victoria Road.

Shortly before midnight they saw Gleed running across the road in front of them towards a teenage girl shouting threats at her.

The men stopped and got out of the vehicle when they saw him grab the girl and intervened telling him to leave her alone and it was no way to treat a woman'.

But the burly teenager reacted by punching Mr Eaton-Caffen to the face knocking him to the ground and running over his pal's car causing hundreds of pounds worth of damage.

Meanwhile a number of other youths attacked Mr Wilcox as he crouched down to see if his friend was all right.

When he was questioned Gleed admitted being drunk but said he had reacted in self defence after being attacked by the men.

He was on bail awaiting trial when he was convicted of assaulting a policeman and a public order offence in October last year.

Both offences took place at a service station in Rodbourne where he and a pal were drunk and behaving in an aggressive manner.

The final set of offences took place at his mother's home on Saturday January 12 when he assaulted her partner, damaged his car and smashed the front door and garden gate.

Miss Whittle-Martin said he had been drinking at the house with friends when she asked them to leave, only for them to return later.

After banging on the door to wake his mum, Toni, he smashed the front door causing £600 of damage and then assaulted her partner Jason Back as he lay in bed.

He then took the garden gate of it hinges and threw it at the house while his mum and her partner barricaded themselves inside.

When the police arrived he assaulted the officer who tried to arrest him struggling with him and sending him falling into a bush.

Gleed, of Frobisher Drive, admitted ABH, criminal damage, disorderly behaviour, assaulting a policeman and assault with intent to resist arrest.

He was convicted by magistrates after a trial of common assault and criminal damage.

James Byrne, defending, said his client accepted he faced custody and realised he had a drink problem which was behind his offending.

He said he left school without any qualifications because of learning difficulties and behavioural problems but still found work as a block paver.

Jailing him Judge Douglas Field said "It is clear to me from what I have heard this morning and what I have read that for the last couple of years you have been behaving like a drunken yob."

2:34pm Tuesday 13th May 2008

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