Victim threatened with knife in car park

A MAN held a knife to the throat of a stranger and told him that he and a friend were going to have sex with his girlfriend, a court heard.

Ashley Wood, 25, turned on the man when he was sitting on a wall outside a supermarket in Penzance.

Wood, from Lanuthnoe Estate in St Erth near Hayle, appeared at Truro Crown Court for what was meant to be his sentencing after previously pleading guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm and possession of a bladed article.

Prosecuting the case, Holly Rust, described how in December last year, Wood and a friend were at a supermarket car park at around midnight.

The victim, Mr Cripps, and his girlfriend were sat on a wall having just left a pub when Wood and another man ran past.

Miss Rust said: “They shouted

‘if the old bill come down you haven’t seen us’. Mr Cripps said ‘if the police ask I’ve seen two toddlers’.

“The defendant then took out a six inch knife and put it to Mr Cripps’ throat. He said if you do anything my mate will rape your missus.”

Wood then discussed the things he and a friend were going to do to Mr Cripps’ girlfriend and told Mr Cripps to walk away and leave his girlfriend with them.

Mr Cripps then headbutted Wood, but cut his arm on the knife during the altercation.

Mr Cripps and his partner were able to get away into a pub and call the police as Wood and his friend continued to shout abuse at them.

The court was told how Wood has various other convictions of violence to his name and was subject of a suspended sentence at the time of the offence.

Wood’s sentence was adjourned to allow for other breach proceedings to take place at the same time.