A HOMELESS man who smashed eight windows at Bradford City Hall with a golf club and later threatened to burn the building down has been jailed.

Bradford Crown Court heard today that Paul Dass was frustrated with Bradford Council because he claimed that the authority had failed to find him accommodation.

The 45-year-old was told by Judge Mark Savill that the £2,000 it cost to repair the windows could have been put towards the Council helping to find him housing.

"You think in your own mind that you were justified in having a grievance with the occupiers of that building, who have no doubt tried to help you," said Judge Savill.

"You repaid them by smashing the eight windows. That £2,000 could have been better spent on people like yourself rather than on mending windows."

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Judge Savill jailed Dass for 14 months. The father-of-four had pleaded guilty at earlier hearings to four charges: causing criminal damage; threatening to burn down City Hall; and two of possessing a knife.

Dass, of no fixed address, smashed the ground floor windows at the Grade I listed City Hall overnight between December 21 and 22 last year.

Prosecutor Nick Adlington said Dass was captured on CCTV and arrested in Centenary Square on January 5 this year.

The second offence happened on January 18 this year. Dass was spotted on CCTV heading towards Bradford Forster Square railway station carrying a metal bar, at about midnight, and police officers swooped.

Mr Adlington said Dass told the officers that he was on his way to a nearby location to perform martial art Kendo. He was arrested and when searched at the police station, officers found a six-inch knife in his underwear.

No charges were brought against Dass in relation to the metal bar.

The third and fourth charges related to an incident that happened at about 12.50am on February 7 this year.

Mr Adlington said Dass pressed the intercom at Trafalgar House police station in Bradford and said he had a knife and was going to stab his brother, and also burn down City Hall. Officers arrested him and found a knife in nearby bushes.

Mr Adlington said: "He said he was homeless with nowhere to stay and that he felt betrayed by his family and was going to stab his brother and sister.

"He also said he felt let down by the Council and wanted to burn down City Hall, but he didn't have enough money to buy petrol to do it with."

Mr Adlington said Dass had 25 previous convictions dating back to the mid-1990s.

Abdul Shakoor, mitigating for Dass, said: "He feels that he has to, being homeless, be in possession of a knife or some weapon to defend himself.

"It is a misguided view on his part but he feels he has no option for fear of attack. He has a choice of arming himself with these items or being attacked and having his life put in danger."

Mr Shakoor added: "He is extremely frustrated by those in City Hall for not providing him accommodation. He feels he is messed about, sent to other places, sent to charities, while seeing others he knows sent to accommodation and not understanding why he was not given accommodation himself."