A Nuisance neighbour who plagued a Chippen-ham street with late night noise for over a year is now behind bars despite fleeing the courthouse during his hearing.

Keith Jones, 44, did a runner from court last Tuesday, but was tracked down in Calne by police six days later.

GreenSquare Housing Group said it brought an injunction against its tenant in April last year because residents of Greenway Lane were being subjected to abusive language, loud banging and music blasting out in the early hours of the morning.

One resident of the street said: “Keith bothered everybody.”

Mr Jones had to attend magistrates’ court in Chippenham after breaching the housing injunction six times.

Sergeant Phil Connor, of Chippenham Neigh-bourhood Policing Team, said: “The neighbours had been subjected to anti- social behaviour for at least 12 months. Such behaviour, causing other residents considerable distress, will not be tolerated.”

Although Jones did turn up for his court appearance, he did not hang around to find out his sentence, slipping out of the court building while the judge was deliberating.

He had left earlier in the all-day trial to pick up his methadone and gone back, but at about 6pm, after District Judge Brookes said he was inclined to believe the witnesses for the prosecution, he nipped out for a cigarette and didn’t return.

He was sentenced to 14 weeks in prison in his absence.

Sgt Connor said: “We had already given our evidence and left the court. During the hearing it became apparent that things weren’t going his way and he left prior to sentencing.”

Police appealed for the public’s help to find Jones, whose facial piercings and tattoos, and three-legged Staffordshire Bull Terrier, made him easy to spot.

Police received new information and located Jones at a flat in Harris Court, Calne on Monday afternoon. He was taken directly to Horfield prison in Bristol.

Sue Burnett, anti-social behaviour officer at Green-Square Housing Group, said: “People were being woken up two or three times during the night and, when they’ve got work to go to, they get worn down.”