A “DEVOTED dad” has been jailed by magistrates after smashing a shop window and a door.

Luke Walsh pleaded guilty to both charges at Southampton Magistrates Court.

He also admitted that he had failed to attend a suspended sentence order on three occasions.

Magistrates heard how the 27-year-old of Colwell Close, Millbrook, had gone to his ex-girlfriend’s home in to collect his belongings after the pair had broken up.

But the dad-of-three became angry when his ex-girlfriend threw his things from her flat in Shirley Towers, pictured, and he then smashed a large window belonging to Southampton City Council on June 6.

Just seven months later police were called when he bashed through a wooden door at her new address, breaking the lock, the court heard.

Walsh had been wanted by officers after he had failed to attend three dates set out as part of his suspended sentence order for previous convictions of criminal damage and battery, said prosecuting solicitor Giles Fletcher.

He told magistrates Walsh still owed 22 hours, plus a further 128 hours of unpaid work.

The court heard that when asked why he had not gone to the appointments Walsh, who was described to magistrates as a devoted dad, said that he had been asked to look after his children and had been told that if he didn’t he wouldn’t be able to see them at all.

Chief magistrate Caroline Brace said: “The bench feel it would be unjust if we didn’t activate the suspended sentence.”

She added: “We are activating your suspended sentence in full because you did nothing for the order.”

Walsh, who works for his father’s scaffolding firm, was jailed for 14 weeks, which includes his suspended sentence of 10 weeks plus an extra two weeks for each of the new charges of criminal damage which will run consecutively.

He was also ordered to pay £100 in compensation to the council.