Man assaulted pub customer then went to fetch weapons
A DRUNK man jumped over a garden wall to gain access to a pub to assault a customer while armed with a “Rambo” knife and a knuckleduster.
Matthew Miller, 26, assaulted a man at the Admiral Napier pub in Cardiff on March 18 after verbally abusing him while the victim was playing pool.
After initially slapping the man, Miller went back to his girlfriend’s home near the pub in Canton and armed himself with the knife and knuckleduster before returning to the pub.
After being unable to access the establishment, whose owners had locked the doors, he climbed a wall into the pub garden and came back into the lounge area through the back door, where he threatened the man again.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court yesterday heard the victim – who was named in court as Ben Roche – was with friends in the Cowbridge Road East pub at around 8.30pm when the defendant walked into the pub.
The two men were unknown to each other but Miller became aggressive for no apparent reason.
Mr Roche tried to downplay the defendant’s behaviour and asked him his name, but when he told Miller his name, he replied: “Ben, that’s a gay name.”
When the victim asked Miller why he was picking on him, he responded that he was the “biggest guy in the pub” and called him a “fat c***”.
The victim then told the defendant to “leave it” but Miller put his face towards him and said “I’m not your mate.”
The defendant was pushed out of the pub but returned 15 to 20 minutes later and carried on antagonising Mr Roche.
Prosecutor Steven Donoghue said there was an altercation near the entrance when Miller slapped the victim to the face, which saw the defendant pushed out of the pub.
Miller, of Picton Place, Canton, then returned to his girlfriend’s flat and armed himself with the two weapons before heading back to the pub and climbing over the pub garden wall to gain access.
When he re-entered the pub, he was seen with the knife in his waistband, but he did not brandish either of the weapons. He again attempted to start a confrontation but was pushed out of the pub door, which was relocked.
The defendant remained outside, hitting the doors and headbutting the windows, but when the police arrived
he attempted to run off and dropped the knife under a car.
The knuckleduster was later found in his jacket pocket.
He pleaded guilty to assault by beating and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.
Defence barrister Adam Sharp said his client was suffering from alcoholism at the time of the offence and it remained a concern for him. He also said Miller had issues with his mental health.
Sentencing, Judge David Wynn Morgan said: “You displayed extremely frightening behaviour by going back to your premises and returning to the pub with two very unpleasant weapons.
“You were extremely drunk and not in control of yourself and it may well have been in your disinhibition you may have used both of those weapons to cause serious harm.”
Miller was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, suspended for 18 months, was made subject to an alcohol treatment requirement and was ordered to carry out 100 hours’ unpaid work.