A JUDGE asked for an inmate at Wrexham's Berwyn prison to resume his medication as soon as possible as without it he is a danger to himself and others.

Ethan James Keating, 23, was appearing at Caernarfon Crown Court for sentencing via video link from the prison in Wrexham.

He had pleading guilty to the unlawful wounding of Sian Price, who described Keating as being her best friend before the attack, at South Parade, Pensarn, on November 24 last year.

Keating had jumped up from the chair in the living room, the court heard, before striking the victim on the side of the head with an object, believed to be a dumbbell. He then punched her repeatedly to the head and body before leaving the flat, which was then his home address.

The victim was knocked unconscious and required 11 stitches to a laceration on the right side of her head.

In her victim statement she said she was horrified by the attack and is now terrified of the defendant.

At the time of the incident Keating was serving a suspended sentence order imposed on June 21, 2019, for an offence of battery.

After reading character references, provided by Dafydd Roberts, defending, Judge Nicola Jones said that there were two sides to Keating.

She said: "It is clear that Mr Keating is a man of two sides. There is the Mr Keating who doesn't take his medication and becomes extremely violent and terrifying, then there is the Mr Keating who is very vulnerable and who still makes an impact on other people. And people really do like him."

But she added that Keating made the decision to stop taking his anti-psychotic medication and was fully aware that he was prone to violence when not taking it, especially when he was under the influence of cannabis and alcohol as he was at the time of the offence.

Ryan Rothwell, prosecuting, told the court that Keating had 17 convictions for 32 offences, 13 of which involved violence.

Sentencing the defendant to two years imprisonment, Judge Jones said: "You had stopped taking your anti-psychotic medication, which, you know because you've had enough lapses and relapses in your mental state, that the combination of no medication with alcohol and cannabis will lead you to become violent and terrifying. This is totally outside of your usual nature."

The judge added that the aggravating features in the case were that Keating was intoxicated with drink and drugs, he used repeated blows, his previous convictions, and that after rendering the victim unconscious and bleeding from a head injury her left her.

He was also issued with a restraining order prohibiting him from contacting the victim in person or through social media or encouraging any third party to do so.

Upon sentencing, Keating got up from his chair, swore, and said he wanted to smash the videolink screen through which he was watching proceedings.

The judge asked the probation officer present to contact the prison as soon as possible.

She said: "I am concerned that you are not receiving treatment for your mental disorder and I am going to ask the probation service to send a copy of the psychiatric report to the prison as a matter of urgency demanding that Mr Keating receive the treatment which he needs.

"I taking into account the effect of a custodial sentence on someone with your mental disorder and I am extremely concerned that you are not being treated in prison."

Keating must also serve two months from the suspended sentence consecutively and must also pay a victim surcharge of £156.