"He had knocked back eight cans of larger, a bottle of wine and taken some cocaine before threatening to kill passengers on a bus." As you do! 16 months is not much of a sentence!
A jealous ex had knocked back eight cans of larger, a bottle of wine and taken some cocaine before threatening to kill passengers on a bus. People feared his threats could become reality as he brandished a seven-inch kitchen knife.
Prosecuting, Nicola Williams, told Mold Crown Court how Dale Jones, of Conway Road in Colwyn Bay, had been waiting for a bus in the town on December 3 last year at around 5.15pm. A 17-year-old witness, who cannot be named for legal reasons, described Mr. Jones as "just a normal person" until their simple conversation took a dark turn.
Whilst discussing what time the next bus was due, the 31-year-old told the teenager he was on his way to kill someone. The court heard how Jones told the youth he had brought a knife with him and asked if he wanted to feel the weapon that was concealed within the arm of his coat.
The 17-year-old, who said he could smell alcohol on him, tried to convince Jones that nobody deserved to be killed. The 31-year-old then went "face-to-face" with the teen, shouting and making threats until the bus eventually arrived.
The court heard how the youth waited for Jones to board the bus and get out of earshot before making his concerns known to bus supervisor Sam Wilson. Passengers were soon after told that "engine issues" had cut the journey short - but this was just a way to stop the bus whilst the police were called to handle the defendant.
Jones became even more aggressive due to the delay and began threatening passengers around him. The court heard that he then went on to threaten the bus driver that he was going to start killing people if the vehicle didn't start moving again.
A replacement bus soon arrived and passengers were instructed to get onto that, the court heard. The original bus driver attempted to get a message to their colleague not to accept Jones as a passenger but this didn't get across in time as Jones got on board.
He sat behind another 17-year-old schoolboy with whom he became verbally abusive. The teenager asked him to stop and move away, the court heard, which only prompted Jones' aggression as he threatened to "shank" him, said Ms Williams, whilst flashing the knife hidden in his sleeve.
The police arrived and were able to arrest Jones after he was kicked off the second bus. He continued to make threats to the officers that he'd slit their throats, bite off their noses and burn their houses down whilst their families were inside.
After being taken to custody, Jones was said to have "made insinuations" that the new partner of his ex had been his target, said Ms. Williams. When interviewed later, he couldn't provide any explanation to the police for his actions on that day, the court heard, other than his mental health being poor along with abuse of drugs and alcohol.
Defending, Sarah Yates, said her client has never received a prison sentence before but has had a taste of custody whilst being held on remand over Christmas as he awaits his sentence. She added that, through her, he is ashamed of his actions and accepts just how serious his actions were that day.
She added that he had recently split with his partner of four years and this took a toll on his mental health. He has very limited memory of the incident, said Ms. Yates, due to heavy drinking and drug use.
Judge Rhys Rowlands imposed a sentence of 16 months for affray after hearing about the "shocking" display, made all the more serious by Jones carrying "a pretty fearsome weapon". He added that there would be no separate penalty added on top of the bladed article possession.
From.... https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/knife-wielding-drunk-threatened-kill-25932000
So one goes to prison and one does not! How is this a good reflection on continuity from the courts?
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