Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
KILLER ESCAPES JAIL ON MACHETE ATTACK
Accused was ‘acting in self-defence’
A CONVICTED killer turned community worker who attacked a man with a machete while out on licence avoided being sent back to prison yesterday.
Glen Harwood – who served a sentence for stabbing his friend James Laverty to death during a drunken argument in April 2005 – appeared in Belfast Crown Court on a wounding charge.
Judge Geoffrey Miller heard that after visiting a man in his role within Duncairn Community Partnership, a fight broke out between the pair which resulted in Harwood striking the victim with a Lidl bag containing a machete.
The 41-year old, from Clara Way in East Belfast, was handed a sentence of two years and six months suspended for three years.
The judge was informed the injured party did not co-operate with the police and refused to come to court.
Prosecutor Robin Steer said that on May 2 last year, Harwood called at the other man’s house in North Belfast to discuss a “recent incident” involving a female they both knew.
A fight instigated by the injured party broke out and during the violent struggle Harwood reached for the plastic bag which contained the meat cleaver and struck the other man with it.
The court heard the victim was treated in hospital for a slash wound to his knee, as well as lacerations.
Mr Steer said it was accepted by the Crown that Harwood initially acted in self-defence – but when he used the weapon he went “above and beyond what was reasonable to defend himself ”.
Defence barrister Michael Boyd told the court Harwood had been carrying the machete for protection as he was under threat and had even been shot at in the street.
Mr Boyd revealed Harwood had already served six months for the attack before he was released on bail.
Passing sentence, Judge Miller branded the machete used as a “horrendous weapon” and spoke of Harwood’s relevant criminal record of 79 previous convictions.
The judge accepted Harwood was carrying it as he was under threat, but added: “This is not a justification for having such a potentially deadly weapon on his person, then using it.”