A dad who threw playing cards at police as he danced and took selfies on top of an 80ft city centre bridge has been jailed . Joseph Ellis scaled Scotswood Bridge in Tyneside twice in 12 hours, sparking rush-hour chaos and a significant waste of resources for the emergency services.
Police, paramedics, the fire brigade and a lifeboat crew were called to the scene on both occasions and found the drunk 33-year-old shouting, taking selfies, dancing and shadow boxing on top of the structure, a court heard.
As negotiators tried to speak to him, Ellis threw playing cards and his top at the officers below and refused to come down for more than an hour on the first occasion and two hours on the second, the Chronicle Live reported .
Now, the smile has been wiped from his face after he was jailed for 22 months at Newcastle Crown Court having pleaded guilty to causing a public nuisance and breaching a previous suspended sentence.
Paul Rowland, prosecuting, said Ellis, of no fixed abode, first climbed up the bridge at around 9.20pm on August 1 this year.
He told the court: “The defendant was sitting down and shouting at officers, saying he wanted a cigarette.
“At one point, he began throwing playing cards down, he took selfies of himself, he was talking on his mobile telephone and, on two occasions, he moved towards the metal superstructure of the bridge.
“Both lanes on the bridge were closed to traffic for the safety of himself and indeed others.”
The emergency services attended and Ellis was finally persuaded to come down at around 10.45pm. He was taken to Forth Banks Police Station but released a few hours later.
But, by 7am the following morning, less than 12 hours later, he was back up on top of the bridge.
The court was told Ellis, who again appeared drunk, refused to engage with the police, instead choosing to take-off his top and throw it towards officers while shouting “f**k off”.
After two hours, the dad eventually came down and he was arrested.
Police, paramedics, the fire brigade and a lifeboat crew were called to the scene on both occasions and found the drunk 33-year-old shouting, taking selfies, dancing and shadow boxing on top of the structure, a court heard.
As negotiators tried to speak to him, Ellis threw playing cards and his top at the officers below and refused to come down for more than an hour on the first occasion and two hours on the second, the Chronicle Live reported .
Now, the smile has been wiped from his face after he was jailed for 22 months at Newcastle Crown Court having pleaded guilty to causing a public nuisance and breaching a previous suspended sentence.
Paul Rowland, prosecuting, said Ellis, of no fixed abode, first climbed up the bridge at around 9.20pm on August 1 this year.
He told the court: “The defendant was sitting down and shouting at officers, saying he wanted a cigarette.
“At one point, he began throwing playing cards down, he took selfies of himself, he was talking on his mobile telephone and, on two occasions, he moved towards the metal superstructure of the bridge.
“Both lanes on the bridge were closed to traffic for the safety of himself and indeed others.”
The emergency services attended and Ellis was finally persuaded to come down at around 10.45pm. He was taken to Forth Banks Police Station but released a few hours later.
But, by 7am the following morning, less than 12 hours later, he was back up on top of the bridge.
The court was told Ellis, who again appeared drunk, refused to engage with the police, instead choosing to take-off his top and throw it towards officers while shouting “f**k off”.
After two hours, the dad eventually came down and he was arrested.
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