Man pulled knife out on tourists
James Norton, 27, of Grove Street, Leamington, pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to charges of common assault and possessing a bladed article in a public place.
This was Norton’s second conviction for having a knife in a public place, which would normally lead to a minimum of six months in prison.
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Hide AdBut the judge deferred the sentence to allow Norton to take part in a programme to address his drink problems, which was part of a previous suspended sentence for shoplifting.
Prosecutor Gwen Williamson said CCTV footage from Leamington town centre on June 14 showed Norton being frogmarched out of a pub and being loud and abusive to security staff, before bouncing off walls and cars and urinating in a doorway.
After shouting at a woman in a parked car, he confronted a group of tourists, following them down the road, and pulled out a lock knife while continuing his tirade against one of them.
Police were called. The knife was still locked open in Norton’s pocket when they arrived.
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Hide AdMiss Williamson said at the time, Norton was in breach of a conditional discharge for shoplifting, and since the incident has been given a 12-week suspended sentence for another shoplifting offence.
Marc Davies, defending, said Norton had not yet had time to engage with the programme, and a pre-sentence report suggested deferring the sentence to give him time to do so.
Deferring sentence for six months, Recorder Gareth Evans told Norton: “You’re someone who constantly goes out and gets drunk and causes problems for people on the streets.
“Under no circumstances must you ever carry a knife again, because if you do and you are brought back before the court, you’d better bring your toothbrush.
“This is a way of putting you on your best behaviour.”