When police investigated a report of a fight in Yatton they came across an injured Daniel Nethercott. And in the course of their inquiries they found he had used a police baton to injure a man and had a prohibited air pistol at his home.
The 36-year-old, a caretaker of Stowey Road, pleaded guilty to wounding and possessing an offensive weapon, namely the baton. He also admitted possessing a prohibited weapon, the air pistol.
The recorder Oba Nsugbe handed him an 17-month jail term suspended for 24 months. He told Nethercott: "It is plain you are somebody who suffers from anxiety and other coping difficulties which it is said you keep to yourself. You would have difficulty in coping with an immediate custodial sentence." Nethercott was also handed rehabilitation and alcohol treatment.
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Alec Small, prosecuting, told Bristol Crown Court Nethercott was seen outside his home with a baton, striking a man on his head and arm. The victim had hospital treatment for a broken forearm, the court heard.
Mr Small said police located Nethercott nearby, who claimed the complainant hit him first. He told police where they could find his baton - and a pistol - and gave them the keys to his home.
The court was told when police visited his home they found the baton in the hall and a prohibited, cartridge-firing air pistol in the lounge. Nethercott accepted grabbing a baton and hitting the other man with it. He added that the pistol, which he didn't know was illegal, was an ornament given to him five years before by a family friend.
Emily Heggadon, defending, said her remorseful client had struggled with chronic depression for most of his adult life. She told the court: "He is greatly appreciated and greatly loved by a large number of people."
She said Nethercott had never fired the pistol and didn't know how to. She conceded it became prohibited in 2004 due to it being possible to convert the pistol into a lethal firearm.
The court heard Nethercott provides invaluable care to his partner and 87-year-old grandmother, who would both be significantly impacted if he was sent to prison. Miss Heggadon urged for a suspended sentence.
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