A man has been sentenced to a year in prison after assaulting six emergency workers.

Liam Heeley, aged 20, appeared in Weymouth Magistrates Court for 11 charges between November 24, 2023, and May 1, 2024, across Weymouth, Dorchester, Wool and Poole.

The charges comprised six counts of assault by beating an emergency worker, three of criminal damage, one of causing a public nuisance and one of being drunk and disorderly.

Christina Norgan, prosecuting, said: "There seems to be a pattern of repeating offences."

In the earliest incident on November 24, 2023, the court heard that Heeley had been found intoxicated and walking on the Weymouth Relief Road. He was taken to Dorchester Hospital, but immediately left and walked into another road.

At this point, he was taken into police custody. He spat at the walls of the police van, at an officer, kicked an officer, and headbutted another.

Further to this on February 3 at the Weymouth Pavilion, he assaulted yet another police officer.

On February 7 he assaulted a mental health doctor by punching her in the side of the face at St Ann's Hospital in Poole.

On April 7 he climbed several stories of scaffolding to get to the roof of a flat, and was seen by members of the public below to be walking back and forth from the edge. Police were called once again.

On April 19 he pushed a police officer in Falkland Square in Poole. Also in Falkland Square on April 26, he smashed the Games Workshop window.

Lastly, on May 1, he graffitied a wall belonging to the Royal British Legion on Colliers Lane in Wool.

Ms Norgan added: "Most of these offences were committed under the influence of alcohol."

The court also heard that Heeley has previously served time in prison following his second arrest for possessing a knife in a public place.

Ian Brazier, mitigating, said: "This is a young man who has been through a very large amount of complicated things. He is a young man with a series of issues."

The court heard that Heeley had previously been living with his mother in Cheshire, but it hadn't worked out, so he moved to live with his father on Portland as a 'fresh start'.

However, by October 2023 things had 'started to go wrong', particularly as 'he doesn't have a great relationship with his father' - which resulted in him living at separate accommodations in Weymouth. He later had to move yet again following a traumatising incident.

Mr Brazier added: "The reality is that he has been in and out of the care and support system.

"Some of these incidents are just because he is in a very low mood at the time.

"He expresses great remorse for this."

Mr Brazier argued that rather than a custodial sentence, a substantial and structured community order would mean that more 'could be done to help him' by probation which would help 'this very vulnerable young person to reinvent himself'.

Following a lengthy debate by magistrates, chair Paul Rose said: "I have to say that assaulting emergency workers, particularly people who are serving the public is totally unacceptable.

"We consider this so serious only a custodial sentence can be justified."

For the assaults on emergency workers, Heeley has been sentenced to 12 months in prison.

Heeley - who has no fixed address - must also pay £100 compensation to each of the police officers assaulted, and £300 to the doctor.

No separate penalty was given for any of the other charges.