A local man who damaged two cars with a metal pole in the Moorish Castle Estate was jailed yesterday.

Francis Lima, 33, of the Moorish Castle Estate, was sentenced at the Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to two counts of Damaging Property and one count of Causing Harassment, Alarm or Distress.

The court heard how just after 3pm on Saturday 24 August, Lima caused damage to two vehicles parked in front of Calpe House, by smashing their windows with a metal pole.

Following numerous calls from members of the public, officers were sent to location and found him within his residence. He began shouting extremely aggressively at officers and then barricaded himself within his flat – preventing officers from entering.

Due to concerns that Lima may have firearms, both RGP and GDP firearms officers deployed to the area, as well as officers from the RGP’s Public Safety Unit (PSU). Gibraltar Ambulance Service was also dispatched as Lima had injured himself.

After 30 minutes of talking, during which time Lima was shouting at members of the public below his window in an aggressive manner and hitting a baseball bat against a wall, armed officers managed to convince him to open the door.

He was arrested just before 6pm and taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries.

At court yesterday, he was sentenced to 180 hours of community service for the criminal damage to the first car and another 180 hours of community service for damage to the second car. Both of these sentences are to run concurrently, meaning he will do a total of 180 hours of community service. For the offence of Harassment, Alarm or Distress, he received No Separate Penalty.

Due to this incident breaching a previous suspended sentence for Actual Bodily Harm, a previous sentence of 20 weeks was activated by the Magistrates’ Court, which was reduced to 15 weeks. Lima was then taken to HM Prison Windmill Hill. Compensation for the victims was not ordered, as Lima is unemployed.