A Bristol man has been jailed for a string of offences, including assaulting two police officers and launching a tirade of “abhorrent” racial abuse against security guards outside a Bristol shopping centre.
Simon Prestidge, 48, of Avondale Road in Redfield, appeared at Bristol Magistrates’ Court on Friday (November 29), where he was sentenced to 32 weeks in prison for the following offences:
- Two counts of assaulting an emergency worker
- Two counts of racially aggravated intentional harassment/alarm/distress
- One count of causing racially aggravated fear/provocation of violence
- One count of assault by beating
- Two counts of criminal damage
- Two counts of theft from a shop
- One count of burglary with intent to steal
- One count of exposure
The court heard that Prestidge’s campaign of abuse and assault took place earlier this month, on November 19, when he was caught by security staff committing a burglary in Broad Weir, having already stolen items from two shops in Cabot Circus.
Prestidge racially abused three security guards, and assaulted one by spitting at them. When officers arrived he used further racist language, and went on to damage a police van and two cells, assaulting two police officers in the process.
PC Toby Downes said: “Simon Prestidge’s actions were appalling, he used abhorrent racist language and assaulted both security guards and police officers during this incident.
“The time between him committing the offence and being sentenced has been swift, and he’ll now be spending a period of time in prison for this series of offences.
“No police officer or security guard should be assaulted for doing their job, and I hope this sends a message that the courts do take offences like this seriously.”