A naked man who went on a cocaine-fuelled rampage, attacking cars and urinating on a war memorial during a two-day bender, has been jailed. Rhys Hicks, 34, terrorised motorists in Middleton, Greater Manchester, leaving them in 'panic' as he punched and kicked vehicles.
At around 4:45pm on June 29, a pub drinker saw Hicks wearing only boxers and trainers. He vanished into nearby trees, reappeared completely naked and began attacking cars. He then urinated on a war memorial, an act a judge called a 'shameful lack of respect to the war dead'.
Hicks then moved onto Manchester Old Road, where Paul Yates was driving with his 11-year-old granddaughter. Stuck in traffic, Mr Yates could not avoid Hicks, who punched and kicked him, dragging him briefly from his car. Members of the public intervened and restrained Hicks until police arrived.
Earlier that day, Hicks had been at a woman's home in Middleton. Jillian Newton told Manchester Crown Court he began shouting incomprehensibly and, when asked to stop, became aggressive, pushing her against a wall. She fled upstairs and suffered a panic attack.
Hicks admitted during a police interview that he had been on a 'two day bender'. Defending, Rebecca Caulfield said he had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity, 'entirely blames' drink and cocaine, and wanted to express how sorry he is.
Sentencing, Recorder Jeremy Lasker said Hicks's behaviour was 'the stuff that members of the public simply dread these days'. Hicks pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal damage, one count of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, one count of assault by beating, one count of affray, and one count of causing danger to road users. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and will likely serve 40% of the term.
