A HOMELESS man has been jailed for a year after threatening a betting shop worker with a piece of glass stating he was going to ‘murder her’.

Ben Rhys-Morris, of no fixed abode, was sentenced at Reading Crown Court on Wednesday (June 28) for one count of threats to kill.

The 29-year-old entered the Coral betting shop in Station Road on January 15 this year and started playing on a slots machine.

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A worker considered the defendant to be ‘vulnerable’ so asked him not to continue using the machine leading to him pulling out a jagged piece of glass and threatening her.

Judge Kirsty Real sentenced him to 12 month imprisonment as well as being made subject to a restraining order against the victim for two years.

Opening the case, prosecutor John Carmichael Rhys-Morris had entered the shop looking ‘scruffy’ and carrying an insolution blanket.

“He sat down on one of the slot machines and started playing,” he said. “[The victim] was worried about him being vulnerable and didn’t think he should be spending his money on the machines.

“She told him she didn’t want him to play anymore. He said he was homeless and wanted to get arrested so he could get some help and said he wanted to kill himself.

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“He got upset so she let him play the machine one more time before coming to the machine and blocking it off.

“He said, ‘I really want to murder someone, I’m going to rob you and then murder you’ and banged his hand on the machine.

“He took out a piece of jagged glass from his pocket.”

Mr Carmichael said the defendant remained seated at the machine during the threats but the worker was fearful for her and her colleague’s life and press a panic alarm alerting the police.

However, Rhys-Morris had already turned the glass on himself and had begun ‘slashing’ his arms.

Police arrived and arrested the defendant who later pleaded guilty during his first appearance in court.

His defence barrister said a psychiatric report claims evidence can be provided for a defence of insanity for Rhys-Morris but they decided not to pursue it.

She added that Rhys-Morris had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder at the age of 15 and started he had had a difficult childhood.

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Sentencing, Judge Real said: “It was no doubt frightening for the workers in the bookers at the time.”

Rhys-Morris will serve half his sentence before being released on licence.