A 33-YEAR-OLD man has been jailed after a rooftop stand-off with police in Shipley last month resulted in damage to homes and vehicles totalling more than £20,000.

During the late-night incident, which lasted over six hours, Benjamin Hanslip threatened to throw himself onto spikes before he began hurling roof tiles at police officers and vehicles.

Bradford Crown Court heard yesterday that drunken Hanslip, who was on prison licence for a robbery offence in 2015, was upset about the possibility that he could be recalled to custody over an unrelated allegation.

Prosecutor Paul Nicholson said after climbing onto the roof of a property in Cross Rosse Street on the night of June 6 Hanslip could be seen laughing as the roof tiles narrowly missed hitting officers.

Mr Nicholson said Hanslip had caused an estimated £20,000 worth of damage to homes on the street as well as a further £4,000 to £5,000 damage to two separate vehicles.

“Ultimately he was talked down by police negotiators but he was up on the roof in total for six-and-a-half hours and the police had to put up a cordon,” said Mr Nicholson.

“During that time he was continuously throwing tiles off.”

Hanslip, of Bradford Road, Shipley, appeared before Judge Neil Davey QC via a video link to HMP Leeds and yesterday he pleaded guilty to a series of charges of criminal damage and threatening a person with an offensive weapon.

Solicitor advocate Nicholas Leadbeater, for Hanslip, said he apologised unreservedly for his actions that night.

He said his client had consumed a large amount of alcohol and had he let himself be arrested he may well have been recalled for just 28 days.

“Unfortunately, and undoubtedly exacerbated by the alcohol he had consumed, he ends up on a roof,” said Mr Leadbeater.

The court heard that Hanslip had been out on licence for about a year and Mr Leadbeater said his client was now seeking help with his alcohol problem.

“If he is able to address that he will be able to live a crime-free life.

“When he fills himself with alcohol he makes very bad decisions and gets himself into trouble.”

Judge Davey, who sentenced Hanslip to two years in jail, said he had thrown away all the efforts he had made while out on licence by his actions that night.

Hanslip has already been recalled to prison to serve out his previous robbery sentence and the two-year jail term imposed yesterday will run concurrently.

He is expected to be released in about a year’s time.