Man seen wielding axe lands prison sentence

33-YEAR-OLD CONCERNED FAMILY WHO WERE ON A BIKE RIDE

A MAN seen waving an axe around on a cycle path because he “heard things in the bushes” has been jailed.

Lea Rutter was spotted swiping an axe through the air by a concerned witness who was cycling on the Sea to Sea route in Washington with his two young daughters.

After making sure he and his children were safely past the “intoxicated male”, the man called police and Lea Rutter was arrested at the scene.

Now the 33-year-old has been jailed after a court heard this was his second conviction for possessing a bladed article in six months.

Rutter, of Weardale House, Washington, was given a suspended sentence in April this year after being found with a knife down the back of his trousers.

And a judge at Newcastle Crown Court said he had no choice but to send him to prison after the second incident.

Michael Bunch, prosecuting, said Rutter came to the police’s attention again on September 1 following a report by a man who had been riding his bike on the Sea to Sea cycle route with his two daughters.

He told the court: “The witness was approaching the bridge across the Washington Highway and saw a clearly intoxicated male heading towards him in the opposite direction.

“He was carrying an axe and appeared to be swiping it through the air.

“After ensuring he and his two daughters had safely passed, he stopped and contacted the police.

“The police attended the area and relatively quickly were able to identify the defendant, who identified to officers where he had left the axe close to the cycle path.

“It was recovered by a police officer and the defendant was taken away for interview.”

In mitigation, Ian Martin said Rutter had had a reaction to drugs and alcohol, combined with poor mental health.

“The reason he had a bladed article on this occasion was he heard things in the bushes and wanted to protect himself from them. On this occasion he had lapsed and taken drugs.”

Recorder Euan Duff activated Rutter’s suspended prison sentence, but reduced it from six months to four.

He also cited a new law stating any defendants found in possession of a bladed article twice must be sentenced to six months in prison.

The judge reduced that to five months – meaning Rutter will serve nine months in total.

Recorder Euan Duff told him: “On September 1 you were seen walking with an axe and waving it around.

“I accept you believed there were creatures in the bushes. This stemmed from mental health difficulties which are triggered by ingestion of alcohol and cocaine.

“I’m afraid when courts pass suspended sentences they mean what they say.”