KNIFEMAN THREATENED TO KILL HIS NEIGHBOURS IN ROW OVER MUSIC
Armed police find cache of weapons in home
A MAN took a samurai sword into the street as a dispute with his neighbours turned violent.
Peter Bentley, aged 25, reacted after a woman living next door knocked on his door and asked him to turn the music down.
A fight soon erupted between Bentley’s brother and the neighbour’s son. It was at this point that Bentley went back inside his Blythe Bridge home and came back out with the knife.
He then threatened to murder his neighbours before going back inside.
Armed police were called to the scene and a cache of weapons were found in the property.
Now Bentley has been sentenced to 16 months in prison, suspended for 18 months, at Stoke-on-trent Crown Court.
Prosecutor Sally Cairns said the complainant lived next door to the defendant and his family in Ridgway Drive.
On December 11, she was at home when she heard loud music coming from next door, so she went to ask them to turn it down.
Miss Cairns said: “His brother appeared and verbally abused her. He pushed her away causing her to stumble.
“The complainant’s son was at home. He saw his mother being pushed and heard the defendant shouting, ‘Your son is dead and you are dead’. He went out and told the defendant to leave his mother alone.
“There was an altercation between the complainant’s son and the defendant’s brother, which developed into a fight.
“The defendant went back inside his home, but returned holding a large knife.”
An engineer working in the street went to break up the fight, but his attention was drawn to Bentley who was holding a samurai sword with the cover on.
Miss Cairns said: “He was holding it downwards as if ready to draw it from the casing. The engineer intervened and grabbed the sword. The defendant told the man to get back in his van.
“The defendant told his neighbour, ‘I am going to murder you and that husband of yours’. They told the defendant to return home.”
Police seized a number of weapons from inside Bentley’s home including a samurai sword, an axe, a knife, lock knife, hammer and knuckle duster.
The court heard the victims have since moved to another address.
Bentley, of High Street, Stone, pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article.
Alexander Barbour, mitigating, said: “The defendant thought the neighbour had brought a knuckle duster to the fight. He saw blood on his brother’s face. That is how he came to be out with the samurai sword. It was never taken out of its sheath.”
Mr Barbour said Bentley wants to become a mechanic and has moved to Stone. He added: “He wants nothing to do with weapons any more.”
As part of the suspended sentence, Bentley must complete a rehabilitation activity requirement for 15 days and 130 hours’ unpaid work.
And he was handed a restraining order which prevents him contacting his victims for five years.