A PROLIFIC offender who punched a woman in the face and then smashed up her car has been jailed.

Craig Williams was sentenced at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday for a string of crimes, adding to his lengthy criminal record, with 77 previous convictions for 221 offences.

The court heard that last November, the 38-year-old defendant punched his victim in the face, splitting her lip, and then "continued to create havoc" outside her home.

Williams approached his victim's car, apparently trying to let down the tyres. When his victim went outside and remonstrated with him, he started to chase her with a broken vodka bottle, telling her he was going to "stab" her.

He then started attacking the woman's car, smashing a window and the lights, tearing off and breaking the number plates, and pulling off a wing-mirror.

He was about to target the car's rear windscreen when the police arrived and arrested him. In all, the incident lasted half an hour.

Williams, of Church Road, Newport, was convicted at Newport Magistrates' Court after pleading not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm, common assault and criminal damage, and was sent to the crown court for sentencing.

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There, the judge, Recorder Adrian Eardley, was told Williams had also committed four breaches of a criminal behaviour order prohibiting him from being in certain parts of Newport city centre.

The court heard how, between September and December last year, police officers had found Williams outside the Natwest bank in Bridge Street and sleeping in doorways in Commercial Street. On another occasion he was caught begging by a police officer in plain clothes.

Police also encountered Williams in January, when they were called to reports of "males fighting" in the Asda car park in Pill. He tried to get away, but was stopped and taken to Newport Central Police Station, where officers found on him a quantity of crack cocaine.

Williams admitted possession of a Class-A drug and four breaches of the behaviour order at a previous court appearance.

Darren Bishop, defending, said Williams had been homeless and "seeking shelter" when he committed the order breaches. The defendant had an "entrenched" addiction to Class-A drugs and had been "using his time wisely in custody", he added.

The judge said Williams' assault would have been "extremely distressing and frightening" for his victim.

Noting the defendant's "very long list of previous convictions", he sentenced Williams to a total of 16 weeks in prison.