‘Flipped’ potato knifeman jailed for 20 months

David Brittain made the threat regarding several people who had called at his address on Curzon Road, St Annes.

He waved a potato knife around and when the visitors left he followed them out, shouting “I’ll stab you all”.

Preston Crown Court heard how he went on to tell police “I’m sorry. I’m not normally like this. I had an argument with my mate”.

Brittain, 25, was given a 20 months jail term by a judge.

He had pleaded guilty to charges of having an offensive weapon and affray.

The offences arose on the evening of February 1 this year.

Joe Allman, prosecuting, said a long term friend of the defendant and two others had gone round to the address on Curzon Road, where Brittain lived with his girlfriend at the time.

The defendant appeared to have been drinking all day.

Things were fine at first, but then went on to try and get his girlfriend to give him money for cocaine.

She refused.

After a while Brittain was described as becoming “lary” and started saying he was going to stab everyone.

He seized a potato knife and screaming and shouting went on to be heard upstairs.

Brittain’s friend went up and held his arms to restrain him, after telling him to “cool it”.

The prosecution said the defendant then “flipped”, took off his top and again threatened to stab everyone.

He went on to wave the knife and a male punched him in self defence before he and others left.

They could hear the defendant following them and shouting “I’ll stab you all”.

They heard him for about five minutes.

A PCSO then spotted Brittain on Church Road, walking aggressively and kicking out at a parked car.

She and a PC spoke to him. He said “I’m sorry. I’m not normally like this.

“I had an argument with my mate,

He had discarded the knife and went on to say he had never intended to use it.

Waheed Omran-Baber, defending, said Brittain had a plethora of problems at the time.

“He was emotionally inept, unable to cope with problems, struggling to come to terms with problems in his relationship, unable to cope with the loss of his father at an early age and all this compounded by drink.

“He accepted full responsibility for his actions that night.

“He doesn’t recollect a lot of what happened that day.

“His life had been in turmoil”.

The barrister explained that Brittain had had an “unusually stressful day at work” and took to drink. The offences followed.

Mr Omran-Baber added “He has acted in stupidity and in drink he behaves impulsively.

“He has been in custody since and has learned a very salutary lesson. He apologises and is remorseful”.

The judge, Recorder David Knifton, said the knife had narrowly missed another male’s body when it was waved towards others.

He added “Cases involving the carrying of knives must be treated seriously because of the extreme danger and the risk of harm they involve

“Nothing other than an immediate custodial sentence can be justified.”