A MAN who brandished a knife in a village street and threatened to ‘shank’ another man has been given a chance to escape going to jail.
Benjamin Davies had pleaded guilty at Warwick Crown Court to possessing a bladed article in Cherry Orchard, Wellesbourne.
But after hearing the 33-year-old, of Selwyn Close, Wellesbourne, had physical and mental health problems, Judge Peter Cooke deferred sentence for five months.
Prosecutor Ian Speed said in March last year a man and his girlfriend were in Cherry Orchard when Davies, armed with a knife, approached them.
He threatened to ‘shank’ the man who bravely pushed him away, said Mr Speed.
The police were called, and when they went to Davies’s home they found him in the garden with a baseball bat, and the knife he had brandished was found in the house.
Mr Speed added Davies had convictions for dishonesty but his only matter relating to violence had been for a public order offence in 2007.
After reading a report on Davies, Judge Peter Cooke observed Davies had “chronic” physical and mental health problems.
Judge Cooke added: “He has been out of trouble since this episode, and the recommendation is that he’s dealt with in the community with a mental health treatment requirement.”
Simon Hunka, defending, confirmed Davies had ‘a number of difficulties’ and was due to undergo a mental health assessment in February.
Judge Cooke said: “An option might be to defer sentence, and I will see him again after he has had his assessment. My intention is to find a way of providing him with structured help for his difficulties.”
Deferring sentence until March and granting Davies bail, Judge Cooke told him: “All I am asking of you is that you are to stay out of trouble, and I want you to carry on engaging with the medical professionals who are trying to help you.”
