Man broke into Doncaster pub and threatened landlady with crowbar

Prosecutor Laura Marshall described how the woman, who lived above the Mexborough pub, confronted Michael Scott on the stairs after hearing noises and he "went towards her holding a crowbar as if he was going to use it on her."

Scott escaped through a delivery hatch with a case of snooker cues, but received a suspended sentence in April last year for the break-in, which took place on February 14, 2019.

In a statement, the woman said: "Finding someone in your house is one of my worst fears especially when he came at me with the crowbar. This will cause me sleepless nights."

Scott was back in court, in January this year, when he received a two-month prison sentence for sexual assault and was placed on the Sex Offenders Register, with a notification order to report to the police every week.

The court heard he told officers he was homeless in March, but failed to sign in at the police station afterwards, and he was arrested on April 9.

He was bailed to a new address, but when officers visited it, they found he had never lived there.

Scott's offender manager described him as "unmanageable in the community" because he attended only half of his scheduled appointments.

Rebecca Tanner, mitigating, said Scott has spent the last 29 days in custody, and "knows he faces a substantial custodial sentence."

She said he was addicted to alcohol, but had undergone a "gruelling detox" in prison, and had a "genuine desire to remain offence free."

His wife described him as a "good husband" and a "fantastic father" when sober, Ms Tanner said, but added: "His view is if he remains in custody for much longer he is likely to deteriorate."

Scott, 41, formerly of Wellington Street, Doncaster, admitted two counts of failing to comply with a notification order and breaching a suspended sentence.

Judge Peter Kelson QC described the original offence as "a dreadful burglary," and told him: "Your central problem is that you are alcohol dependent."

He sentenced him to a total of two years in prison.

Read the latest cases from Sheffield Crown Court here.

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