It was a dustpan not a carving knife, man tells police

A THUG who chased a man down the street with a carving knife screaming “I will f****** stab you!” has been jailed.

Police were scrambled to Kingswood Avenue in Laughton on December 12 after Joe Light was seen brandishing the knife outside in home.

When officers went to his house, Light refused to answer the door but spoke to them through a downstairs window and denied the attack.

Sheffield Crown Court heard police spoke to the victim, reportedly a friend of Light’s, who denied the defendant had been wielding a knife.

But CCTV from a neighbour’s camera clearly showed him with a large carving knife.

When questioned by police, Light bizarrely claimed that he had been carrying a dustpan and brush.

Mr Ryan Donoghue, prosecuting, said: “Police were called at about 3.30pm by a member of the public stating that the defendant was chasing another man while holding a knife.

“Police attended the address but the defendant refused to answer the door but did open a downstairs window.

“He was abusive and was shouting and screaming.

“He confirmed he had been out in the street arguing with one of his friends but maintained he was not in possession of a knife.”

Light’s mother had arrived home while police were there and had been speaking on the phone to the victim, Mr Donoghue said, adding: “Police took the phone and he (the victim) denied the defendant had been in possession of a knife and said he did not want to make a complaint.

“CCTV was obtained from a neighbour in which he could be seeing holding a large carving knife and he was chasing after the victim shouting: ‘I will f****** stab you’.

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“The two men moved out of the shot of the CCTV and could be heard arguing and shouting at each other.

“The victim was seen getting into a van and driving away from the scene.

“When he was cautioned, the defendant stated: ‘I’ve done nothing wrong’ and that he had been holding a brush.

“When interviewed, he provided a prepared statement in which he said he had been arguing with a friend and at that time was holding a dustpan and brush.”

The court heard the 27-year-old had previous convictions for violence, including a similar incident where he chased a man down the road while brandishing a Samurai sword, for which he was given a suspended prison sentence.

Light admitted threatening a person with a blade or sharply pointed article in a public place.

Mr Richard Barradell, mitigating, said Light suffered from ADHD and serious learning difficulties and “therefore has a low tolerance of stress and suffers from acts of aggressiveness”.

He pointed out that in this incident there had been “no actual violence, just the threat of it”, adding: “He is very sorry and I invite the court to consider if the sentence can be suspended.”

Judge Rachael Harrison referred to a pre-sentence report, which said Light’s “outbursts of aggressive and violence appear to have become habitual” and he posed “a high risk of causing violence to members of the public”.

She told him custody was “unavoidable” and jailed Light for eight months, followed by 12 months of supervision.

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