Rowdy and angry scenes outside a man’s home turned even more nasty when he suddenly came out of the door brandishing a crowbar – and later armed himself with two axes.
Craig Smith waved one of the axes above his head during the frightening confrontation. There has been a long-running dispute between him and another man over a woman. The other man turned up outside Smith’s home and he repeatedly hurled threats and tried to get inside the house, Hull Crown Court heard.
Smith, 39, of Moorfield Road, Bridlington, admitted affray, possessing two axes, possessing a crowbar as an offensive weapon and possessing cocaine on March 21.
Paul Confield, prosecuting, said that police were called to a report of a disturbance in Field Road, Bridlington, at about 11am. A man had turned up at Smith’s home to speak to him about a dispute that they were involved in over a woman.
Smith received threats from the other man for about 45 minutes but he did not at first come out of the house. The other man made repeated attempts to get inside the house, the court heard.
Smith accepted that he eventually came out of his home and was wielding a crowbar. A crowd of 15 to 20 people was watching, including youths. “The defendant left the garden and repeatedly waved the crowbar,” said Mr Confield.
Smith went inside but later returned outside with two small axes. He waved one of them above his head but he was too far away from the other man to strike him with it. He returned inside his home.
“There was a risk of serious disorder,” said Mr Confield. Police were alerted and the weapons were found. Smith had a small amount of cocaine. During police interview, he made no comment to all questions.
He had convictions for 44 previous offences dating back to June 2000. They included eight involving assaults. He had been jailed for two-and-a-half years in June 2022 for assault causing actual bodily harm and assault.
Oliver Shipley, mitigating, said that it was the other man who went to Smith’s home over a long-standing dispute but Smith did not start the trouble. “The defendant wanted none of this that day,” said Mr Shipley.
“This was an unpleasant incident from start to finish. He is very sorry for his escalatory actions on the day. For adults, the defendant accepts that this was an entirely childish situation that took place. He didn’t start this.
“After 45 minutes of this situation not calming down, he has escalated it in an entirely regrettable fashion. There was a large group of people outside this property and only him at the front door. There was a significant degree of provocation.
“There is a long-standing dispute. There is a male involved in that dispute attending at the front door, demanding to speak with him and making efforts to enter the property. He has to accept that, ultimately, what he did was unacceptable.
He simply panicked and lost all logical set of thoughts.
“A logical thinker would not have behaved in that way with the two weapons that he took hold of and the manner he brandished them. There was no intention to use those weapons in any way but he has to accept that they were brandished.
“He accepts, with hindsight, that there were ways in which this incident could have been defused more passively without weapons being used. These weapons were household items. They were weapons used by his father in the garden for chopping up logs in the garden for fires or for splitting pallets.”
Smith worked as a self-employed landscaper and there had, apart from this, been no further offending since his release from prison on licence. He described himself as an alcoholic.
Recorder Ayesha Smart said that Smith was subjected to threats for 45 minutes and he was “provoked” during the incident. “You were intoxicated at the time through drink and through cocaine,” said Recorder Smart.
“You came out of your home with a crowbar, in full view of members of the public, including children. You brought out two further weapons – axes – and waved one above your head.
“Coming back out with two axes is far in excess of what could be described as reasonable self-defence. It was possession of a highly dangerous weapon. There was serious risk of disorder.”
Smith was given an 18-month suspended prison sentence, 150 hours’ unpaid work, six months’ alcohol treatment and 25 days’ rehabilitation. He was ordered to pay £500 costs.