A MORECAMBE man who barricaded himself in his council house and threw roof tiles in an act of protest has been given an 18-month suspended prison sentence.

Police officers and negotiators attended the eight hour incident which saw neighbours removed from the scene for their own safety.

Tony Peace, 35, received the sentence, suspended for two years, at Preston Crown Court last week.

He had pleaded guilty to affray, which occurred at his former address in Kentmere Grove, Morecambe, last June.

Mr Andrew O'Byrne, prosecuting, said police were informed of a disturbance at the address at around 5am one morning. Peace was hurt shouting inside the house.

Many of the windows had been broken.

Mr O'Byrne said: "Police believed he might have some weapons and for that reason more police attended. The defendant could be heard effectively barricading himself in the premises.

"Eventually, officers felt it prudent to remove neighbours from the scene, including at least one elderly person , due to concerns the situation might escalate."

Police negotiators went to the scene. Eventually Peace forced his way through the roof and was throwing tiles down.

Around £1,100 damage was caused to the home.

Eventually, police forced an entry to get into the house. When Peace was apprehended the police were initially concerned as to whether he was mentally fir for interview.

He went on to spend some days at Ridge Lea hospital.

Miss Rachael Woods, defending, said that when detained at hospital he was assessed as having depressive symptoms and paranoid thoughts, but no treatable psychiatric disorder that would require him to be detained.

After his marriage deteriorated , his former wife left with the three children around three years ago. Since then he had had no contact or sight of them.

Miss Woods said: "That matter itself causes him a great deal of distress and frustration. He has no idea where they are."

Following the break-up, he felt his ex-wife's family were responsible for a series of burglaries at his home.

He made his suspicions known to police and it seemed that neighbours did not want to give information to the police.

The drastic actions he took were to voice his concerns, added Miss Woods.

"It was merely meant as a protest of his frustration of a lack of co-operation by his neighbours and inaction of police."

Judge John Townend attached a two year supervision order to the suspended jail sentence.