Man jailed after he was seen with a 12-inch kitchen knife in the centre of Redcar

A young man has been jailed after he was caught on camera taking out a knife in the street after guzzling three litres of cider.

Drunken David Standley, 21, was seen gesturing towards a group of three men on Bath Street, central Redcar.

CCTV footage played at Teesside Crown Court showed him holding his arms aloft as he walked along the road.

Prosecutor Paul Lee said Standley put up his hood and took a 12-inch kitchen knife from his pocket.

He then dropped the knife and kicked it across the ground on the night of May 30 last year.

Police stopped him and found a 12-inch stainless steel kitchen knife in a search of the area.

In an interview he told officers he had drank three litres of cider at his home.

He said the knife had been thrown from a window at his home, he picked it up to prevent trouble and kept it on him.

He claimed three men shouted abuse at him, he followed and threatened them, but did not intend to harm anyone.

“It doesn’t appear they were doing anything towards him,” Mr Lee told the court.

Standley, of High Street, Redcar, admitted possession of a bladed article, which carries a maximum sentence of four years’ imprisonment.

He later claimed he would have stabbed one of the men if he had not been caught, the court heard today.

Andrew White, defending, said Standley said let his mouth run away with him and said daft things he did not really mean.

He said remarks to a probation officer and psychiatrist were merely “bravado” and “hot air” at a time when Standley wanted to go to prison, had nowhere to go and felt helpless.

Now, Standley maintained he never wanted to use the knife or harm anybody.

Mr White said the weapon was not used or brandished and Standley acted out of character with no previous violence or weapons on his record.

The defendant had been in custody since October, was off drink and drugs and wanted to tackle his issues, supported by his mother.

The judge, Recorder Eric Elliott QC, said: “People carrying knives in public places, particularly at night, inevitably go to prison unless there are exceptional circumstances.

“There are no exceptional circumstances here.”

He jailed Standley for a year.