A grassroots youth football supporter who claimed his drink might have been spiked after he threatened a police officer with a knife during an intoxicated rage has been spared jail.
Chester Crown Court heard today how officers were called to a ‘disturbance’ at the Brookvale home of Ian Pinnington, 51, on Redruth Close, on July 5 last year.
Recorder Rowena Goode, presiding, said the defendant was ‘thoroughly abusive’ to the first constable at the scene outside his house, then went inside and emerged with a knife, which ‘was used in a threatening manner’.
Ana Price, prosecuting, said a stand-off ensued as the policeman – who feared he was going to be stabbed – tried to persuade him to put down the knife.
Pinnington kept hold of the blade and the constable ‘screamed “put the f***ing knife down”.’
A second officer arrived and observed that the defendant ‘appeared very angry’.
The constable said he feared his colleague was going to be stabbed.
Pinnington threw the knife in a bush and the policemen bundled him to the floor while he ‘continued to be abusive’.
He apologised in interview, saying he had been drinking and now felt ‘ashamed’.
Pinnington later pleaded guilty to threatening a person with a blade.
The court heard that the defendant – a supporter of grassroots and youth football – had flipped after returning home from a junior football sports presentation evening, to which he had taken six cans of bitter.
Simon Parry, defending, said: “There’s no way six cans of bitter would have changed the behaviour of this man from the normal Ian Pinnington.”
Character references said he would usually ‘fall asleep in his chair’ after slightly too much alcohol.
This led to suspicions that ‘something had happened to his drinks’.
A tearful Pinnington sobbed in the dock as Mr Parry referred to 12 letters expressing support for Mr Pinnington’s usual character and his role supporting youth football, as a carer for his wife, and as a ‘breadwinner’ in his job as a security supervisor.
Recorder Rowena Goode, presiding, sentenced Pinnington to six months in prison, suspended for 12 months.
He must also pay an £80 victim surcharge.
She took into account his previously clean record, his ‘immediate and continuing’ remorse, his participation and support for grassroots and youth football and character references.
Recorder Goode said: “You behaved in a terribly abusive and threatening way towards two police officers, one police officer in particular who had been called to your home address.
“The police had been called as a result of some sort of disturbance at the address and when the police officer arrived you were thoroughly abusive towards him and went into the house and produced the knife, which was used in a threatening manner towards him and you clearly continued in that behaviour until another police officer arrived.”
The defendant is not to be confused with another Ian Pinnington, 42, of no fixed abode, who was recently sent down for two years for stealing £2,000 of snacks and drinks from Runcorn Ski Slope.
Source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/