A 30-year-old who punched a man while he was subject to two suspended sentences has been jailed for 15 months.

Sean Peter Ross Maunders admitted common assault as well as possessing cannabis.

He had been given suspended sentences in May 2022 and October 2023.

Deputy High Bailiff Rachael Braidwood told the defendant: ‘The public need to be protected. You’ve been given two previous chances, there can’t be a third.’

She jailed Maunders for three months for common assault and one month for cannabis possession.

The Deputy High Bailiff then also activated a five month suspended sentence from October 2023 in full, and added six months of a 15 month suspended sentence from May 2022, all to run consecutively.

Maunders swore angrily as he was led away from the dock to custody.

The court heard that the latest offences were committed on November 10.

Maunders, who lives at Quine’s Corner in Douglas, approached a man and punched him in the face.

In May 2022, Maunders was given a suspended sentence of 15 months’ custody, suspended for two years, for five counts of assaulting a police officer.

Those offences were committed during two separate incidents, three days apart, when officers were performing welfare checks at his home.

In October 2023, he was sentenced to five months’ custody, suspended for two years, for resisting arrest and sending menacing messages, after police had to restrain him using Pava spray at his home.

On that occasion, Maunders had called police headquarters and told them he had a shotgun, which prompted armed officers to attend his address.

Regarding the latest offences, defence advocate Helen Lobb asked for credit to be given for her client’s guilty pleas and said that he had taken full responsibility for his actions.

Ms Lobb said that Maunders wanted to apologise to the court and the victim of the assault.

The advocate said that her client had been going through a significant amount of stress at the time, and suffered with mental health issues.

Ms Lobb said that Maunders was now receiving treatment from his GP and had abstained from drinking alcohol since the commission of the offences.

She said that the defendant had a supportive circle of friends and support from probation, and that he would lose his council owned property if he was sent to prison, then have nothing upon his release.

Ms Lobb said that Maunders had been engaging with probation and was a vulnerable man who needed support.

He was also said to have self-referred to Motiv8.

Deputy High Bailiff Ms Braidwood told Maunders: ‘Not only are you in breach of the October suspended sentence, but you are in breach of the May 2022 one.

‘I find myself repeating many of the words I said in October 2023.

‘You were extremely fortunate on the last occasion and committed these offences within a month.’