Sutton man carried axe while knocking on neighbours’ doors in search for his dog
A Sutton man who carried an axe when knocking on his neighbours' doors as he searched for his missing dog in the early hours has been threatened with custody.
Matthew Coaton's neighbours called 999 about a drunken male who was banging on doors and trying to enter garages on Clare Road on Sunday May 19, said prosecutor Kerry Close.
Officers thought Coaton had made the complaint until his neighbours shouted that he was the culprit. He was arrested when they spotted a yellow axe hanging out of the back of his trousers.
Coaton, aged 48, made no comment when he was interviewed.
The court heard he has six previous convictions and was last in trouble for theft in 2007.
Chris Perry, mitigating, said Coaton was shouting his dog's name and banging the axe on railings, before going door to door to ask if people had seen his dog.
"There is no suggestion he was running around brandishing it," he said.
He said Coaton had woken up after drinking earlier the previous day and injured his head when he fell over.
Mr Perry said: “The defendant is someone who can be rehabilitated. He stopped offending 17 years ago after being addicted to crack cocaine and heroin. He overcame a methadone in 2022
“Very few people are able to do that," he said. “He recognised he has been helped by many people along the way. He has turned his negative life experiences into positive ones."
He said Coaton is working with an outreach programme for the housing charity Framework.
"He is able to say, “I have been here, I can help,”” said Mr Perry. “He could save lives. He has a lot of pride in what he is doing. He feels he is paying back and that is his mission.”
Coaton, of Clare Road, admitted possessing an offensive weapon in public, when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
"The police were called because people were frightened," said the presiding magistrate. "You have been years clear of your drug addiction. I am sure you feel it yourself there was no need for this to happen.”
He received a six month sentence, suspended for 12 months, with ten rehabilitation days. He was ordered to pay a £154 surcharge and £85 costs.