A man who continually causes traffic jams by standing in front of vehicles then says nothing to police officers, court officials or prison staff, has been jailed after being convicted for the seventh time.
David Hampson, 45, of Swansea , began his bizarre behaviour in 2014 when he was given a conditional discharge for obstructing a highway but immediately obstructed a road in the city again.
He was convicted of being a public nuisance and then had more convictions for breaching a criminal behaviour order banning him from obstructing traffic.
Swansea Crown Court heard on Monday that Hampson was released from prison on July 30 last year but immediately on release obstructed the traffic again and remained silent afterwards.
'Draped himself over the bonnet'
James Hartson, prosecuting, said Hampson “draped himself” over the front bonnet of a Royal Mail van on busy De La Beche Street in Swansea with his arms outstretched and his face pressed against the windscreen, forcing the vehicle to halt.
He said: “Car drivers were sounding their horns and some got out to see what was happening as traffic congestion built up.”
PC Kevin Roberts, who was called to the scene, said he first suspected Hampson may have been involved in an accident and asked him if he needed help but that he said nothing.
He said: “I took him by the arm and led him to the side of the road.”
The officer took him to nearby Swansea Central police station where several members of staff recognised Hampson from previous obstruction incidents.
He said nothing to court staff or police
Hampson, who had no defence representative, and who had said nothing to fellow prisoners on remand, court staff or police in the run up to his sentence, was given a 36 week jail sentence by Judge Paul Thomas QC on Monday afternoon.
The delay in sentence had been due to the compiling of psychiatric reports on Hampson, with one psychiatrist assessing Hampson as suffering from schizophrenia, the other taking an opposite view, that he was of sound mind and was using his traffic blocking, silent behaviour as a misguided way of drawing attention to himself and his poor financial situation.
Judge Thomas said it may have been better if the psychiatric reports had both suggested hospital treatment as it could have “brought this cycle of behaviour to an end in everyone’s interests”.
But the court was told there needed to be two psychiatric reports suggesting treatment for a hospital order to be put in place
see-http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/silent-man-who-causes-traffic-11137106
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