A man slashed a dad in the face with a Stanley knife blade outside a primary school amid an ongoing dispute.
Derek Smith got into a fight with a dad who had just dropped his child off at a primary school in County Durham and threatened to kill and "cut" him on March 16 this year. The 54-year-old then went on to slash the dad in the face with a blade, causing a gash above his eye and cuts to his cheek.
Smith, of High Street, Willington, Crook, appeared at Durham Crown Court on Wednesday to be sentenced for wounding and possession of a bladed article. He pleaded guilty to the charges at a previous hearing.
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The court heard that Smith and the victim knew each other and "did not get on at all". Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, said the victim had dropped his child off at Willington Primary School and was leaving when he encountered Smith. He said: "The defendant said 'I'm going to kill you, I'm going to cut you'. There was then an altercation in the street which was witnessed by a woman. She heard a disturbance and saw both men leaving the school. She suggested Smith was acting aggressively towards the victim. The victim walked away but they then started punching each other while children were present."
Mr Dryden said that the victim then followed Smith down the street and there was a "verbal exchange" before Smith carried out a "slashing movement" towards the man. Smith then picked up a plant pot before the incident ended and the victim left the scene.
The court heard the man sustained a "deep wound above the right eyebrow" and "slash wounds to his cheek". Smith had also bitten the man's thumb at some point. Smith had 14 previous convictions for 19 offences, including possession of a blade in 2007 and a robbery conviction, for which he was jailed for two years.
Vic Laffey, defending, said Smith was in possession of a Stanley knife blade as he had been working "off and on" as a joiner and had been carrying out some work. He said that Smith's offending had "reduced over the last decade" and that he and the victim "do not get on at all". He said: "There are references that they lived close to each other and the police being involved, but Mr Smith has never got to the point where he's made a formal report to the police about whatever has happened between them."
Mr Laffey said that the "situation escalated" when Smith became involved with a woman who may have also know the victim. He added: "He has significant problems with mental health and has experienced a lot of complex trauma throughout his life."
Sentencing Smith, Judge Jo Kidd said: "An argument developed at the school gates, there was no need at all for this fight to develop. You had the opportunity to walk away, instead you engaged in public violence where you were armed." Smith was jailed for 32 months with a five year restraining order being imposed.
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