A YOUNG man made threats to staff at a sheltered housing complex in Malvern after being evicted for causing £1,000 of damage.

Cameron Mowbray admitted a string of offences when he appeared at Worcester Magistrates Court on Thursday. The 20-year-old of Gloucester Close, Malvern, admitted criminal damage after causing £1,000 of damage to the Malvern Hills Foyer between June 5 and June 6 last year.

The charge states that ‘without lawful excuse’ he ‘damaged numerous items within a supported housing complex to the value of £1,000 belonging to Fortis Living’. By admitting the charge Mowbray has accepted he was ‘intending to destroy or damage such property or being reckless as to whether such property would be destroyed or damaged’.

The Foyer provides support to young people in housing need aged between 16 and 23. He further admitted a threat to damage or destroy property after he threatened to slash the tyres of Lisa Dudfield’s car and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour against Lisa Dudfield and Lisa Perera with intent to cause them to believe that immediate unlawful violence would be used against them on March 14.

Mowbray also pleaded guilty to attempting to possess a controlled drug of class A (MDMA) and possessing a knife blade in a public place - the Morrisons carpark in Roman Way, Malvern on the same date.

Nicola Ritchie, prosecuting, said: “This case surrounds criminal damage and threatening behaviour at the Foyer in Malvern. The defendant was previously housed at that place but was evicted after committing criminal damage.”

Miss Ritchie said the two women referred to were members of staff at the Foyer. When he was arrested he was found to be in possession of MDMA. Miss Ritchie explained that the reason he was charged with attempt to possess MDMA was that police had not yet tested the substance.

The blade was a Stanley knife with a three to four inch blade.

The defendant told the judge: “It was just the blade on its own with no handle. It wasn’t extendable or adjustable.”

Sarah Brady, defending, said her client was undergoing a mental health assessment for autism and receiving anti-depressant medication from his GP.

“He’s not an easy person for them to come up with a constructive programme” said Mrs Brady.

Mrs Brady told the district judge Mowbray was now living on his own in a flat. “It’s not going well it’s fair to say” she told the court.

The case was adjourned for three weeks for the assessment to be completed and for an all options pre-sentence report to be prepared by the probation service.

District judge Nigel Cadbury said: “They are serious offences.”

However, he said mental health issues could be an ‘important and mitigating factor’ and did not wish to proceed to sentence without that information. He granted Mowbray bail on condition he does not contact Lisa Dudfield or Lisa Perera directly or indirectly and does not go to the Foyer in Malvern.

The next hearing will take place at Worcester Magistrates Court on May 9. Mowbray was told to be at the court by 9.30am.