Police cordoned off an area of Bridlington after a hot-headed and aggressive troublemaker hurriedly fled onto a roof and caused chaos in a doomed bid to escape from officers and dodge being arrested.
Drug dealer Luke Swift at first defied attempts to persuade him to come down from the roof but a female police officer later managed to "talk him down" from a ledge where he was perched. He finally abandoned his rooftop stand-off after about 45 minutes, Hull Crown Court heard.
Swift, 29, of Vernon Road, Bridlington, admitted a charge of intentionally and recklessly causing a public nuisance on April 9, involving evading police arrest by going onto the roof of a house in Manor Street, Bridlington, causing a risk of harm to the public, being reckless as to the consequences.
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He also admitted possessing cocaine with intent to supply in Bridlington on January 23. He originally denied the offence but he later changed his plea.
Jazmine Lee, prosecuting, said that police went to a house in Manor Street to arrest Swift on suspicion of another matter. They used the intercom system but it seemed that Swift was not there. CCTV pictures showed him leave the back of the house and police went round there.
Swift went back into the premises and police managed to get inside through someone letting them in at the front. He went up onto the roof and police decided that they did not want to risk any danger to his safety so they shut the street off.
A cordon was put up so that Manor Street was closed to all traffic at the junction of Chapel Street. It was about 45 minutes before Swift came down from the roof, said Miss Lee.
The earlier drugs offence came to light after police spotted what looked like drug dealing in Turmer (CORRECT) Avenue, Bridlington. Swift was seen in an alleyway between Trinity Road and Tennyson Avenue and he was stopped and searched.
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He had £85 cash in his hand and another £980 was seized from his jacket. Of that, £765 was his. Bags of cash and a phone were found. His home in Vernon Road was searched and drugs, scales and cash were found.
Swift had convictions for 16 previous offences, including most recently for assault causing actual bodily harm, criminal damage and theft in March 2022, when he was given a 15-month suspended prison sentence.
Connor Stuart, mitigating, said that, when police arrived at the house, Swift panicked and went onto the roof. After his arrest, Swift praised a female police officer who was at the scene because she "spoke to him on a human level" and won his confidence enough to be able to "talk him down" from the ledge where he was. The officer had told other police to back away so that Swift could come down.
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The drugs offence involved Swift supplying cocaine, which he was addicted to at the time, but he had since kicked his habit entirely. He had no drug debts and he was ready to make a clean start.
Swift originally got into drugs as a way of coping with his problems. He has been in care from a young age and his mother was a heroin addict. He had previously had legitimate employment.
He was jailed for 18 months.
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At an earlier hearing before the court on August 19, Swift turned nasty, angrily hurled abuse and struggled violently when he was refused bail.
He had been brought before the court in custody but he lost his temper and became very aggressive and confrontational towards dock custody officers when he was not released on bail.
He admitted breaching his bail on August 1. A warrant without bail had been issued for his arrest after he failed to turn up for an earlier hearing.
Michael Masson, mitigating at the earlier hearing, said that Swift had unexpectedly become homeless. He had previously been living with a friend in Bridlington.
"At very short notice and without warning, along with his partner, he was told that he would have to leave the address," said Mr Masson. While Swift was trying to find another home, he suffered an "extreme and significant amount of trauma" and the tent that he was living in was burned or damaged. "He had to replace the tent three times," said Mr Masson.
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Swift had, before being remanded in custody, a new address but he was concerned, at the time of being refused bail, about the welfare of a dog that was living with him in a flat at the time. He had been arrested on the warrant and taken into custody.
"He is concerned that the dog is left without food and water," said Mr Masson. Swift had expressed "heartfelt remorse" at missing probation service appointments ahead of a pre-sentence report for an earlier hearing. He was given a day's detention for breaching his bail but he was refused bail pending reports being prepared.
He immediately began protesting and, after he was led out of the secure dock to be taken down to the cells, he began shouting and swearing.
Banging noises were heard as well as yelling and swearing from Swift as attempts were made to get him down to the cells and to calm him down despite his repeated resistance. The problems continued for some time and he carried on being difficult, abusive and obstructive.