A man who went on a drunken rampage and pulled out a knife at a shop assistant missed his own mother's funeral after he was jailed for his antics.
Paul Middlehurst, from Newton-le-Willows, drowned his sorrows in alcohol after trying for three days to get a GP appointment for his depression, with no success. At 6.30am on January 17 2023, the 42-year-old attended the Texaco garage at the junction of Crow Lane West and Market Street and tried to buy alcohol, but was refused as he was already visibly drunk. At 8am, he returned to the shop and tipped over a newspaper stand, threw a bottle at a window and pulled out a flick knife at the shop assistant as he rushed to lock the door.
The incident, which was partially caught on CCTV, occurred while Middlehurst was on bail following a burglary committed on August 31 2022.
