A DOCK man has narrowly avoided a prison sentence following a domestic incident that resulted in a broken vase of flowers.

Police were called to a property in Kavanagh Court, Pembroke Dock, on the night of May 5, following a 999 call from the occupant.

There they discovered Michal Rakowski, 39.

“The complainant was clearly upset and very distressed when viewed on the police body-worn footage,” Crown Prosecutor Abigail Jackson told Haverfordwest magistrates this week.

“She had rung 999 to ask the police to come and arrest the defendant,  and a male voice could be heard in the background shouting, ‘F*** you’.

“The whole time that the police were there, she wasn’t looking at them and had her head down.  She was clearly distressed.”

Ms Jackson went on to say that Rakowski and the complainant have been involved in a tempestuous relationship for a considerable length of time.

“There’s a history between the two parties and the domestic situation is continuing between the two of them,” she said.

Rakowski pleaded guilty to a charge of causing criminal damage to the flowers and a vase and appeared before magistrates after being remanded in custody.  This was because the offence had been committed whilst Rakowski was the subject of a community order imposed for a similar offence.

The probation service was present in court and confirmed that the defendant’s engagement with his probation officer has been sporadic.

After considering the facts, magistrates sentenced Rakowski to an 18-month community order during which he must carry out 30 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 150 hours of unpaid work.  He was also ordered to pay fines and charges totalling £224, including £25 compensation to the complainant.

“Today you’ve come very close to being sent back to custody,” said the presiding magistrates when imposing sentence.

“I want to make it very clear that if you trip up and don’t engage with the probation service, you know what’s going to happen to you.”