‘Like the Wild West’: Jail for two in fight outside Tesco
Security guard the hero as pair held ‘armed’ showdown in dispute over woman
Robert Kitchen and Steven Stewart had arranged to meet up for an “armed fight” after a dispute over a woman, York Crown Court heard.
The “scary” incident, in broad daylight, began at a self-service check-out at Tesco in Westwood, where Stewart walked up to Kitchen and “words were exchanged”, said prosecutor James Howard.
The situation worsened and staff ushered Kitchen out of the store, but the two warring Scarborough men went to the side of the supermarket where Stewart produced a sock filled with rocks, described as a “sock cosh”.
“He hits Kitchen across the face with (the cosh),” said Mr Howard. Stewart then backed off from Kitchen but with his arms outstretched, as if he were “goading” the other man for a fight.
“Kitchen then produces a knife and lunges towards Stewart, slicing the front of (Stewart’s) clothing,” added Mr Howard.
Stewart jumped back from the lunging knifeman and mercifully escaped injury.
Witness Stuart Smith, a Tesco security guard who turned out to be the hero of the piece, said he saw Kitchen make two “stabbing motions” towards his adversary and a “slashing motion”.
The fight continued behind some cash points, which was where Mr Smith intervened.
Kitchen, 35, of South Street, and Stewart, 33, of West Square, was arrested later the same day when he denied using the “sock cosh”, although he later made full admissions.
They both appeared for sentence – in separate courtrooms linked by video – after Stewart pleaded guilty to affray and threatening another with an offensive weapon and Kitchen admitted affray and threatening his rival with a blade.
Mr Howard said that in the run-up to the incident in the early afternoon of April 7 last year, the two men had exchanged a series of venomous text messages in which they ultimately arranged to have a fight. He said that in the four weeks prior to the incident, the acrimony between the two men had resulted in “insults and death threats” being issued by both parties.
Graham Parkin, for Stewart, said his client, a former hotel night manager, had mentalhealth and alcohol problems for which he was getting help.
Tabitha Buck, for Kitchen, said her client’s previous spate of offending had been fuelled by drug addiction.
Judge Sean Morris said: “It’s two stupid men who wound themselves up about a woman and met up for an armed fight.”
Kitchen was jailed for 11 months. Stewart, who had fewer previous convictions, was jailed for nine months.
Mr Morris paid tribute to security guard Mr Smith for his “extreme” bravery in disarming Kitchen and breaking up the fight. He said that Mr Smith would be awarded £350 out of public funds and, with his consent, would be presented with the cheque by the High Sheriff of North Yorkshire in a ceremony held remotely over a video link, when he would receive a public commendation.