A MAN has been jailed for crimes which went “from bad to worse”, including driving a car at two people, robbing his friend, head-butting a man in a nightclub and threatening a police officer with a fork.

Matthew Wall, 24, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison after being sentenced for three assaults, dangerous driving, robbery and affray at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday.

Wall of St Andrew’s Close, Cwmbran, lost all sense of reality and “went from bad to worse” when he committed the offences between June and October last year, the court heard.

Tony Trigg, prosecuting, said the first offence, of dangerous driving, was committed on June 10 when Wall’s girlfriend became involved in an argument with one of the victims, Leanne Matthews, in an Asda store in Cwmbran. Wall was waiting outside in his Ford Fiesta when he saw the argument.

“He got out of the car and became involved in a verbal exchange with Leanne Matthews,” Mr Trigg said.

“When he got back in the Ford Fiesta he drove about two car lengths at Leanne Matthews and her friends.”

One of Matthews friends, Leo Mcgrath, managed to half twist Matthews away from the car, but both were hit.

“Both were shocked and slightly injured,” said Mr Trigg.

“The windscreen of the car was broken by the force of the impact.”

Wall was uninsured and without a valid license at the time, the court heard.

Sarah Walters, defending, said that Mr Mcgrath believed Wall was braking at the time of the crash.

On September 29, Wall attacked his friend Lewis Phillips and stole his sports bag in a robbery.

Wall was with Mr Phillips and some other youths in Northville, Cwmbran, when the attack happened.

Wall attempted to choke Mr Phillips and bit his ear in the attack, the court heard.

“He put his arm around my neck and squeezed and said “You are going to sleep,” said Mr Phillips in a statement read in court.

Other members of the group stopped the assault and Wall then walked away with the sports bag.

After the attack, Mr Phillips sent a message to Wall, saying there was no reason for the attack.

Wall replied: “That’s what you get for being around me when I’m psychotic.

He added: “You were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Sorry, I owe you a drink.”

When police came to arrest Wall on October 14, he shouted abuse before picking up a large fork and warning officers “I will do it.”

He eventually put down the fork and was arrested.

Wall was also sentenced for headbutting a man at The Courtyard in Newport, causing him injuries to the nose.

It happened in the early hours of September 3, after the victim had become involved in an argument with an associate of Wall.

Ms Walters said Wall had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity to all of the offences.

Except for the first offence of dangerous driving, the crimes were all related to drink and drugs, she said.

She added that Wall had shown remorse for his crimes.

Judge Eleri Rees sentenced Wall to four-and-a-half years in jail and disqualified him from driving for 46 months.