A VIOLENT man, who repeatedly breached an anti-social behaviour order within days of it being issued, was jailed for five months by magistrates.

The court heard Alan Pearce, aged 21, of The Walk, Nantyglo had a "blatant disregard" for the Asbo.

The Asbo was placed on Pearce after he brought serious violence and disorder to Nantyglo and Blaina.

He was only the third man in Blaenau Gwent to have an Asbo order placed on him after pleading guilty to a string of offences.

At Caerphilly magistrates court Pearce admitted three breaches of the order and was jailed for five months for each breach, to run concurrently.

Geoffrey Davies, chairman of the bench, said: "We take very, very seriously, the breaches of Asbos."

Mrs Claire Phillips, prosecuting, said: "He breached it on three occasions in the days after receiving it.

"His behaviour has not altered because of this order."

Pearce breached the Asbo within six days of it being imposed.

On May 5 he was walking along the street in Nantyglo with two other men when he stopped and stared at a man in a front garden and began swearing at him.

Later that day, he was seen punching another male outside Cwmcelyn stores in "an unprovoked attack".

The third breach occurred on May 18, when Pearce approached a male person he knew outside a shop in the Brynmawr area and threatened to kill him and called him "a grass".

Patrick Meadows, mitigating, said Pearce intended to move to the Abertillery area with his partner and young child for a fresh start - as he accepted if he returned to Nantyglo and Blaina he would get himself into trouble.

"He hopes to have a new start where his family and he are not known." Mr Meadows added Pearce deserved credit for the fact he had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

The sentence was reduced by one month from six months to five, in view of Pearce's early guilty plea.

The post-conviction Asbo was placed on Pearce after he had admitted seven offences including actual bodily harm, resisting arrest and causing harassment, alarm or distress.

At that time he had 28 convictions on a criminal record stretching back to 1995.