A 22-year-old man who was seen chasing a group of people in a Suffolk town while brandishing a knife has been jailed for 29 months.

Reece Pryce was spotted by a CCTV operator with the knife in Camps Road, Haverhill, and the police were alerted, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Pryce threw the knife under a bush in the garden of a house and when he was stopped by police he was aggressive and was warned he would be tasered, said Joanne Eley, prosecuting.

The knife was later recovered by police and officers formed the view that Pryce was under the influence of drink and drugs, said Miss Eley.

Pryce, of no fixed address, admitted burglary at a flat in the Cangle Foyer in Haverhill and stealing two rucksacks, affray and having a knife.

East Anglian Daily Times: Pryce, 22, was jailed at Ipswich Crown CourtPryce, 22, was jailed at Ipswich Crown Court (Image: Suffolk police)

The court heard he had 32 previous convictions, including two previous convictions for having a bladed article in 2017 and 2018 and two previous convictions for dwelling house burglaries in 2018 and 2019.

During the burglary at the flat in Cangle Foyer, Pryce had kicked the door down before ransacking the room and squirting tomato sauce everywhere. 

The court heard that as Pryce has two previous convictions for house burglaries and previous convictions for having a knife, he would fall to be sentenced to mandatory minimum terms of imprisonment.

Jude Durr, for Pryce, said his client had issues dating back to his childhood and an alcohol problem.

He had been homeless for a decade and had spent some time living in a tent with his mother.

Mr Durr said Pryce had been in custody for several months and had reached a point when he wanted to turn his life around.

He said Pryce didn’t want to return to Haverhill after he was released from prison and planned to relocate to Bury St Edmunds.