"Vile racist behaviour" in Falmouth on Christmas Day led to a man being sent to prison for what magistrates described as a "truly dreadful ongoing incident."

It was the third run in with the law within the space of ten days for Philip Mark Richards, who only a day earlier had been ordered to pay a total of £514 in fines, compensation and court charges for criminal damage and breaching a domestic violence protection order made nine days before that.

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The 39-year-old, of no fixed abode, was back before magistrates in Truro on January 4 over his actions on December 25, which included assaulting a police officer, PC Stewart, while he was working in Falmouth.

For this he was sentenced to 18 weeks in prison and ordered to pay £300 in compensation to the officer, after pleading guilty to the charge.

A further 26 weeks behind bars was added on for his guilty plea to causing racially / religiously aggravated intentional harassment, alarm or distress to two people through words or writing, again on Christmas Day.

Magistrates also ordered that he pay both people £100 each in compensation.

The court said the offences were so serious because of being a "truly dreadful ongoing incident," that involved "vile racist behaviour" by spitting in an officer's face during the pandemic.

The sentence was increased by eight weeks due to the racial aggravation.

He also pleaded guilty to causing £75 worth of damage to a police vehicle at Camborne on that day.

Magistrates committed him to prison for six weeks, to run concurrently to the other sentences, with it being noted: "The court finds that this offence was both racially and religiously aggravated."

It means Richards was given a total of 44 weeks in prison for his crimes.

One other offence was admitted and taken into consideration when sentencing.

Richards pleaded not guilty to a further charge, of assault by beating on the same day, which was dismissed after the prosecution offered no evidence.