A man was imprisoned after engaging in criminal activities for 12 hours across West Sussex.

The incident began around 4:30 pm on January 3, when police were alerted to a commotion at Pengelly Gardens in Littlehampton.

Zac Brazil, who was armed with a knife, invaded a home and threatened its occupants.

That evening, at approximately 8 pm, he forced his way into another house in Ravenscroft, Storrington, where he assaulted a woman with a knife, causing minor wounds. He also deliberately destroyed the woman’s eyeglasses by crushing them underfoot.

At the age of 26 and without a permanent residence, Brazil was found to be carrying cannabis at the time of his arrest.

The day before these incidents, he had been caught driving illegally without a license or insurance.

Brazil admitted to charges including criminal damage, common assault, affray, carrying a knife, possessing a Class B substance, refusing to comply with a preliminary test, uninsured and disqualified driving.

On February 12, he was brought before the Lewes Crown Court, where he received a sentence of three and a half years in prison and a five-year Serious Violence Reduction Order (SVRO). This order allows the police to search him in public places for weapons at any time over the next year.

Furthermore, he was banned from driving for an additional 90 months.

Detective Inspector Gary Jacobs said: “This is a deserved result for Brazil who caused distress to a number of victims.

“Not only the prison sentence, but the power of the SVRO is so important and I am proud of the team for securing yet another one.

“This shows our commitment to make sure dangerous and persistent offenders are taken off the streets.”