Mansfield man with history of wielding weapons risked jail by threatening neighbour with baseball bat
A Mansfield man with a history of wielding weapons risked spending six months in prison when he threatened his neighbour with a baseball bat, a court heard.
Richard Morey told police his neighbour was armed with a knife on St Michael's Street, Sutton, at 5.30pm on December 5, last year, Patrick Fisher, prosecuting, said.
But when officers arrived they discovered CCTV which showed Morey holding the bat on the street and both men were arrested.
The court heard Morey has five previous convictions, including four for possessing offensive weapons, dating back to 2011.
Amy Godson, mitigating, said Morey had "a somewhat troubling start in life," but has stayed out of trouble for a long time.
She said the previous convictions occurred "when he was naive and leading a very different lifestyle."
He was involved with substance misuse which led to offending behaviour, she added.
The 15-year gap since his last relevant offence was "an exceptional circumstance," which meant magistrates could decide against imposing the mandatory minimum six-month prison sentence for offenders who repeatedly carry weapons.
He is now a full-time carer for his father and, “unusually,” expressed remorse following his conviction.
Morey, 33, of Northfield Park, Mansfield Woodhouse, was convicted of making threats and possessing an offensive weapon after a trial at Nottingham Magistrates Court on May 13.
"He has been able to say, “I shouldn’t have behaved in that way,”” Ms Godson said. “He has been able to keep himself out of bother for some time.”
On Thursday, he received a 12-month community order with 150 hours of unpaid work. He was ordered to pay £514 towards court costs.