A CRIMINAL with a vendetta against two Gwent Police officers following his conviction for assaulting his then partner is back behind bars after making fresh threats against them.

Neil Skiffington was jailed for 12 months in April for hounding the duo, his grudge stemming from his imprisonment for grievous bodily harm in 2015.

One of the officers has since installed a panic button at his home after being persecuted by the 36-year-old.

Two years ago, the defendant, from Newport, was also jailed after he threatened to cut the throat of the lawyer who prosecuted the assault trial.

The city’s crown court heard that Skiffington believed he was a victim of a miscarriage of justice and branded the two police officers as “corrupt”.

But Judge Daniel Williams dismissed the notion as being of the defendant’s "own making”.

Skiffington, of Dockwell Terrace, Station Road, Llanwern, was caged earlier this year for hounding a DS Williams and a PC Greening who were involved in the 2015 trial.

He had received a 33-month sentence for assaulting his ex-partner.

As well as being sent to prison in April after pleading guilty to sending malicious communications, he was made the subject of a restraining order preventing him from contacting the police officers.

But after his release from jail, Suzanne Payne, prosecuting, said, Skiffington continued to pursue his feud against DS Williams and PC Greening by telephoning the 101 non-emergency number.

She told the court how the defendant made eight “aggressive and abusive” calls between July and August and claimed he had been “stitched up” by the police.

Miss Payne said that after his arrest, Skiffington told officers: “This would be hanging over DS Williams for the rest of his life over a wrongful conviction from 2015 and he wouldn’t let it go.

“This was not the end of matters and that he would be thinking of what he would be doing next.”

In a statement read to the court, DS Williams wrote: “I have been called a lying, horrible, corrupt scumbag. I am none of the above.

“He (Skiffington) has become fixated that I withheld a 999 call recording.”

The officer stated that he did not act in an “underhand” manner against the defendant, adding: “The reason he went to prison was because he assaulted his partner.”

Skiffington admitted two counts of breaching a restraining order.

Hilary Roberts, mitigating, said his client had pleaded guilty and had “paranoia about the police” because “he felt he was being improperly thwarted”.

His barrister added: “The motivation was the recovery of property he thought was being withheld.”

Mr Roberts said that when Skiffington becomes agitated he “flies off the handle”.

Judge Daniel Williams told the defendant: “You were venting your spleen and you made veiled threats to both of these officers.

“It is clear you are still simmering with resentment. It is resentment of your own making.

“You also expressed satisfaction that one of the officers had installed a panic button.”

The judge jailed Skiffington for 16 months and imposed an amended restraining order for an indefinite period which prohibits him from contacting any police force in Wales and England save for an emergency or via a solicitor.