A keen photographer captured these chilling moments when a racist thug brandished a fearsome samurai sword on his street.
Gareth Devlin - caught on camera as he stalked a Port Clarence street with a sword threatening to “kill all Polish people” - was jailed for five years today.
Teesside’s top judge congratulated and thanked the amateur photographer for securing vital evidence in his speedy snaps.
Devlin, 28, waved the sword in front of children on a summer’s afternoon, shattering residents’ peace as they enjoyed the World Cup.
Polish nationals had been drinking and chatting to their neighbours on Meadowdale Close on July 12.
Two hooded men - Devlin and 24-year-old Joseph Smithson - walked into the street and started trouble for no apparent reason.
“Come on,” shouted Devlin, sword in hand, prosecutor Paul Cleasby told Teesside Crown Court.
He told one Polish man “I will kill you” and raised the long sword.
As the resident turned to flee, Devlin struck out with the weapon, causing a wound to his back which later needed five stitches.
There were children in the street as the swordsman threatened to “kill all Polish people” and Smithson punched another innocent bystander.
Mr Cleasby added: “One of the witnesses, to their great credit, grabbed a camera.
“He was a keen photographer and he was able to take photographs of the assailants.
“That at the time proved to be the best evidence.
“Your Honour sees Gareth Devlin with a sword in his hand in broad daylight walking down the street.
“He has attempted to disguise himself with a hood over his face.”
Mr Cleasby said witnesses to the terrifying attack since left the area, making the photos even more crucial.
He added: “Were it not for his quick thinking and good work, the Crown would not have the case that they have.”
Devlin admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and possessing an offensive weapon.
Devlin and Smithson - who both lived a few streets away from the crime scene on Willow Terrace and Poplar Terrace respectively - admitted affray.
Devlin had 40 previous offences on his record, including four violent crimes.
He was sent to a young offenders’ institution in 2007 for having a home-made machete in a public place.
George Hazel-Owram, defending Devlin, said he showed remorse in his guilty plea at the first opportunity.
He said: “He knows that it’s a serious offence. He knows that the only outcome is an immediate custodial sentence.
"The only question is the length of it.
“Thankfully the injuries were not serious in the context of this offence.
“The wound was relatively minor and a full recovery was made. It was also a single blow.
“It’s his first offence of this nature. The other violence is relatively low level.
“He’s still a relatively young man. He has a partner. They are expecting a child in February.
“He knows that he will miss the first few years of that child’s life.”
Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC, the Recorder of Middlesbrough, said: “You, Mr Devlin, took part in a very bad attack upon this Polish gentleman for reasons only you can understand.
“You know, and you’ve set out in your letter, that only a sentence of custody can be considered, and a lengthy sentence at that.”
He jailed Devlin for four years for the assault plus one year for having the “fearsome weapon”.
He told Smithson the time he had spent on remand - equal to an eight-month sentence - was enough custody for his crime.
Smithson was given a two-year community order with 120 hours’ unpaid work and a year’s supervision.
