A MAN who triggered a 40-hour siege with armed police at a derelict building during which he taunted officers and exposed himself to them was jailed.

Christopher John Foley, 51, also hurled a house brick that narrowly missed an officer’s head and some of the debris they were bombarded with hit a marked police van.

The stand-off happened in Tredegar’s Bridge Street where the defendant lived on June 5 after a warrant for a recall to prison was issued for him.

Cardiff Crown Court heard how Foley was spotted at around 9.30am in the unsafe building on next to Bridge Street Industrial Estate where a number of businesses trade from and lost time and money as a result of the deadlock.

Judge Tom Crowther QC was told scaffolding has been erected around the remains of the building and the defendant was walking along the dilapidated walls and climbing the scaffolding while shouting a tirade of abuse at officers stood on the ground.

South Wales Argus:

(An armed officer in front of the building surrounded by scaffolding, with Foley also visible. Picture: Ryan Finney)

The court heard a number of police officers were deployed to the area, which included firearms units, and cordon was placed around the area and that a number of people had gathered to watch events unfold.

Police appealed to Foley to surrender and two negotiators were dispatched to the location but he kept lobbing missiles.

Judge Crowther was told that a number of hours later he moved to a lower level wall and pulled his trousers and pants and shouted obscenities in full view of members of the public who were jeering him.

(Video of the incident back in June, which shows Foley seemingly falling off a wall)

Officers at the location said that this just encouraged him.

The siege continued for 40 hours in total with firefighters and ambulance crews standing by at the scene.

It came to an end when officers entered the building and Foley escaped and went back into his own home, after he had threatened to arm himself with a knife, where he was arrested at 6.40am in the morning two days later.

Foley, of Bridge Street, Tredegar, admitted affray, outraging public decency and criminal damage.

It was said in mitigation that he had pleaded guilty to the offences.

Judge Crowther jailed Foley for a total of six months and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of £115.