MACHETE PARK MAN JAILED
AN intoxicated man showed a large machete to people in a park and told them he wanted to cut a group of men “into pieces”.
Michael Martin, 26, approached a brother and sister walking in Tredegar Park, in Risca, at around 8.10pm on May 27 and asked them if they had seen three older men.
He was described as being “unsteady on his feet” and had cuts and bruises to his arms as well as an injury to one of his eyes.
When they replied that they hadn’t, he told them he wanted to “cut them to pieces” with his machete.
Martin then showed them a sports bag containing a machete with an orange handle.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Thursday heard that Ieuan and Nicola Barrett, whom the defendant spoke to, became concerned and called the police after Martin started walking towards a children’s playground.
Prosecutor Abigail Jackson said officers attended the scene and spoke to Martin, who was described as slurring his words and intoxicated.
The defendant initially denied having a machete on his person but it was found in the bag. He claimed it was for chopping wood.
Ms Jackson said Martin told police he was scared of being made homeless and said: “It’s put away, why are you being like this?”
He was arrested and placed in a police van but en route to the police station he became agitated and started acting in an aggressive and violent manner by headbutting the cage, opening up the injury on his eye and causing it to bleed.
As a result, Martin was taken to hospital to receive treatment before being placed in police custody.
The defendant, of Brookland Road, Pontymister, Caerphilly, later pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article in a public place.
Defence barrister Kevin Seal said his client was a “very troubled” man who was brought into the care system when he was nine years old.
He said Martin had previously been in a stable relationship with his ex-partner and had a child but following their break-up 18 months ago he had been placed in emergency accommodation and was concerned about being made homeless after a PIP payment had gone astray, leaving him unable to pay for his accommodation.
In regards to intoxication, Mr Seal said the defendant had drunk two cans of cider on the day of the offence but his condition was exacerbated by the medication he was taking.
Sentencing, Judge Jeremy Jenkins said: “You have had a troubled life and the court is not without sympathy for you, but anyone in possession of such an offensive weapon in a public place and who behaves in the way that you did has committed a very serious offence indeed.”
Martin was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.