A MAN who kicked a police officer as he attempted to hide under his mum’s bed to avoid arrest has been haded a suspended prison sentence.

Officers were on their way to speak with Jay Cockburn, 32, in relation to an unrelated offence, when they saw him running away.

They chased him as he ran to his mum’s house – in a block of flats of Cambrian Street in Aberystwyth.

When police got to the address, Cockburn’s mum said he had left through the window. The officers searched the flat, and saw a hand sliding under the bed.

The officer shouted ‘Get out from under the bed’. Cockburn went under further and officers lifted up the bed. He kicked one of the officers to his left upper thigh.

The officer received no injuries, and Cockburn was arrested.

The prosecution told Swansea Crown Court this offence put Cockburn in breach of a suspended sentence order for drug offences from March 2022.

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Cockburn was handed another suspended sentence in January for a separate offence – the racially aggravated harassment of a security guard working at Aberystwyth Justice Centre.

On June 24, 2021, he had called the security guard a ‘Somalian b******’ and told him to ‘f**k off back to your country’.

Cockburn failed to show up for his sentence in October last year and it was proved in his absence, but after failing to show up in court again he was sentenced on January 5 to six months for the racially aggravated harassment and a consecutive one month for failing to surrender to police bail.

The seven-month sentence was suspended for 18 months.

Cockburn was also ordered to undertake 150 hours of unpaid work and imposed a 20 days rehabilitation activity requirement.

The prosecution told Swansea Crown Court that Cockburn had failed to show up for an appointment as part of his suspended sentence on February 12, and on May 4 he “exhibited unacceptable behaviour” on his unpaid work placement.

“He did attend the pick-up point, but his partner – who was on the same placement – was late. They said they would carry on without her, he became irate and left,” the court heard.

The failures to attend breached the conditions of his suspended sentence order from January 5.

The court had previously heard that Cockburn “has had a very troubled life” and had been self-medicating with drugs.

Ian Ibrahim, in mitigation, read out a reference from Cockburn’s boss, who said he was “such an asset” and that he hoped to offer him more work”.

“He has really started to get back on track,” he said.

Judge Paul Thomas extended the period of Cockburn’s suspended sentence by a further six months, and ordered him to complete an additional 50 hours of unpaid work and 10 more days of rehabilitation activity requirement.

For assaulting an emergency worker, Cockburn was handed a one-month sentence, suspended for 12 months.

“Mr Cockburn has now spent two weeks in custody. I hope that will be a grave lesson to him,” Judge Thomas said.