A man has been handed a suspended prison sentence after carrying out “nasty assaults” on two police officers.

Appearing before Mid-Wales Magistrates Court in Merthyr Tydfil on Friday (May 13), Anthony Graham Foley pleaded guilty to two counts of assault by beating of an emergency worker.

The court heard that on July 5, 2021, Foley assaulted two South Wales Police officers on Merthyr Tydfil’s High Street.

But, while the court found that the “nasty assaults” were aggravated by the fact that they were carried out against emergency services personnel, Foley avoided a prison sentence for his crimes.

Instead, the 32-year-old, of New Road, Deri, in the Caerphilly borough, was handed a 16-week sentence, suspended for 12 months.

While the offence passed the custody threshold due to the severity of the offences, and Foley’s previous convictions, there were a number of mitigating factors which saw the sentence suspended.

Firstly, Foley’s guilty pleas were taken into account.

The delay in the case being brought to court was also cited as a factor for a suspended sentence.

The court also heard that Foley is undergoing help for alcohol abuse at this time.

Instead, he is required to carry out 120 hours of supervised, unpaid work over the next 12 months.

Foley was also ordered to pay £200 in compensation, a £128 surcharge to fund victim services, and costs of £85 to the Crown Prosecution Service.

All told, he is required to pay a balance of £413.