Man jailed over rooftop protest

Extensive damage was caused during the rooftop protest

A man from south west Wales has been jailed after being found guilty of causing criminal damage to a council building.

Iorwerth Jones, 69, from Llandovery, was accused of causing damage worth more than £60,000 during a rooftop protest against Carmarthenshire Council - over a development near his home.

Iorwerth Jones appeared before Swansea Crown Court

The court was told how Jones - who had denied the charge - had made 200 holes in the roof of the local authority offices.

During a hearing at Swansea Crown Court on Tuesday, Jones was sentenced to six months in prison, three months of which was suspended.

His demonstration on the roof of the building in Llandeilo in March this year lasted 4 hours.

The building could not be used for 10 weeks after the incident.

The court heard how Jones had claimed he was on "a morale crusade".

The jury was told he had been "waging a one man war" against his local authority for 31 years.

He was disputing a council decision which allowed a lorry park and a pet food factory to be built next to his home.

Inquiry call

Nicola Powell, prosecuting, said Jones told police he was "acting in a moral way" and made repeated reference to his quarrel with the council.

The judge's summing up instructed the jury that the defendant had no defence to the charge and only a verdict of guilty was appropriate on the facts.

But in returning the verdict, the jury added it thought Jones had been consistently let down by the system and the council and they felt a public inquiry was needed into the development of land near his home.

The judge endorsed the jury's recommendation but said, in sentencing, he had no option but to give Jones the minimum custodial sentence.