Man jailed for threatening Swansea salon days after release

A man who burst into a Swansea beauty salon, lay on a treatment bed demanding water, then threatened to destroy the premises has been jailed for eight months.

Raymond John’s bizarre intrusion came just days after he had been released from prison where he was serving a sentence for shoplifting a bottle of tequila from Sainsbury’s and exposing his penis in public.

Swansea Crown Court heard that on 4 December last year, the owner of the Skin and Glamour salon on Llangyfelach Road was preparing to close for the day when John pushed past her and made straight for the treatment room. He lay down on the bed and began demanding water.

The owner repeatedly asked John to leave but he refused. Fearing for her safety, she retreated to the reception area. The 42-year-old defendant followed her and threatened to “smash this place up” before searching behind the counter whilst shouting “Where is the money? Where is the till?”

The terrified salon owner left the premises and sought safety in a nearby shop until John departed. Police were called and an officer recognised John from video footage. Officers went to the defendant’s flat in Griffith John Street, Dyfatty, and arrested him on suspicion of attempted robbery. In his subsequent interview, he gave a prepared statement in which he denied the allegations.

John had previously pleaded guilty to burglary when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. The court heard he has 57 previous convictions for 89 offences including burglary and 20 thefts and kindred matters.

Andrew Evans, defending, said the defendant was “a gentleman with significant issues around mental health and substance misuse” which went some way to explaining his “erratic behaviour” on the day in question. He said his client accepted a custodial sentence was inevitable and wished to take advantage of whatever help was available in order that he be “better equipped to deal with everyday life” upon his eventual release.

Judge Paul Thomas KC said the defendant had only been out of prison for a short time when he entered the business premises and began smashing it up and making threats. He told John he was very fortunate that the prosecution had not proceeded with the more serious charge of attempted robbery.

The judge told John: “You will wake up one day and find you have spent most of your life in one institution or another.”

With a one-third discount for his guilty plea, John was sentenced to eight months in prison. He will serve up to half the sentence in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community.