A SOUTHAMPTON man who turned up at his friend’s house armed with a knife and sprayed Nazi graffiti on a Southampton job centre has been jailed.

Alastair Piercy arrived at his friend’s home carrying the blade after suffering complications with his mental health.

In a separate incident, he sprayed a swastika, a symbol commonly associated with the fascist Nazi party, on Jobcentre Plus in Southampton.

Appearing at Southampton Crown Court, Piercy was jailed for a year.

The court heard how Piercy arrived at his friend’s house on November 15, armed with a knife.

His friend did not open the door during the incident, which a judge described as “terrifying” for the victim.

Then, on September 23, Piercy sprayed graffiti on to the Jobcentre Plus building, in Bernard Street, and damaged a glass door by throwing a brick at it.

Daily Echo:

As well as a swastika, Piercy painted the term “work makes you free”.

The words are similar to the phrase “Arbeit macht frei”, translated to “work sets you free”, which appeared above the entrance to a number of Nazi concentration camps.

One camp to feature the phrase was Auschwitz, where an estimated 1.1 million people died, the vast majority of whom were Jewish.

Mitigating for Piercy, Alejandra Tascon, said the 36-year-old was suffering from mental health issues.

She said he had been in custody since his arrest, had been medicated and his mental health had improved.

She also passed a note to sentencing judge, Nicholas Rowland, in which Piercy apologised for his actions and asked for forgiveness.

Piercy pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour, possession of a knife and criminal damage.

In sentencing, judge Rowland described the graffiti sprayed on the job centre as “unpleasant”.

Piercy, of Cossack Road, Southampton, was released following the sentencing, having already served his equivalent sentence in custody.