An Oldham man, who brandished a machete as children played in a park and threw bricks towards a group of bikers, has avoided jail. Zackary Mercer-Barlow was also using a ‘rubber axe’ to chop at trees during the ‘psychotic episode'.
The 28-year-old was initially spotted by three bikers, as he walked towards Asda in Huddersfield Road on May 15, prosecution barrister Helena Williams told Minshull Street Crown Court. Mercer-Barlow was holding a hoodie in his right hand and pulled out a ‘18-inch blade machete', which he waved at the group.
One of the group reported the incident to Asda staff, who called police, and Mercer-Barlow made his way to a local park. While there, he ‘smacked trees and bins’ with the weapon, as children played nearby.
