‘Situations like this can easily escalate into serious violence, sometimes fatal violence’
A nasty confrontation involving a group of fired-up and aggressive men could easily have led to a fatality after one of them picked up a knife and angrily started brandishing it as tempers frayed. Cocaine user Ian Davison was angry that his bicycle had been stolen from his garden and he was determined to get it back, Hull Crown Court heard.
Davison, 43, of South Back Lane, Bridlington, but recently in custody on remand, admitted affray and possessing a knife on August 22. He was earlier found guilty in his absence by Beverley magistrates of assaulting two police officers as emergency workers on April 4 last year.
Connor Stuart, prosecuting, said that Davison became involved in a disturbance outside his house after 6am on August 22. He ran from his home and made gestures with a knife that he had seemingly picked up from a grassed area.
A group of other men were involved in a confrontation, not involving Davison, and one of them was injured. Davison admitted that two knives were in his front garden.
The earlier incident involving police happened in Harrington Road, Bridlington, after Davison was seen in the middle of the road. He was told to stay where he was but he jumped up and became aggressive. Attempts were made to restrain him but he put his arm around the shoulder of one officer and tried to wrap it around his neck. He refused to remove it and he was taken to the ground.
Davison prevented handcuffs being put on him and stuck his finger nails into an officer’s fingers. He later claimed that he could not remember the incidents but denied assault.
Davison had convictions for 133 previous offences and he was in breach of a four-month suspended prison sentence imposed on August 16 last year for two assaults as well as a 10-month suspended sentence made on December 23 for assaulting police and racially aggravated harassment.
Hannah Turner, mitigating, said that there was a “tussle” near Davison’s home after a bicycle was taken from his back garden without his knowledge. He was shouting at the group because he wanted it back.
“He was chasing part of the group down the road demanding his bike back,” said Miss Turner. “His main focus was to get his bike back.”
Davison had shown remorse. “He has an unenviable record, to say the least,” said Miss Turner. He had been in custody since September 3.
Judge Mark Bury told Davison: “There was an argument that you didn’t need to get involved in. It wasn’t your problem. You could have stayed indoors but you didn’t.
“You came out and there was an argument going on that you were not involved in. You were seen brandishing a knife at another person. You went up to somebody and brandished this knife.
“Situations like this can easily escalate into serious violence, sometimes fatal violence. There simply is no excuse for that behaviour. You were unpredictable at the time because you had taken cocaine.”
Davison was jailed for 22 months.