Jail for knife-man accused of cheating on Portsmouth partner slashed victim who intervened in argument

Jack Weston, 22, denied sleeping with another woman when he was confronted on March 17 last year at a home in Arundel Street, Landport.

Portsmouth Crown Court, dealing with the case over Skype and teleconferencing during the coronavirus lockdown, heard Joshua Ogunbiyi ‘intervened’ in the row involving Weston, who appeared in court via prison videolink from HMP Winchester.

Tom Wilkins, prosecuting, said: ‘There was then a tussle at the door.

‘It was in those circumstances with the defendant grabbing her arm.. Mr Ogunbiyi, he, it seems, was fighting with the defendant and I was during that, that the defendant produced the knife and swung it.’

Police were called and Weston’s partner informed officers what had happened.

But after Weston was arrested and bailed, he was involved in another knife incident after drinking with friends.

Pals saw him becoming ‘erratic’ picking up ‘items’ in his kitchen before lunging at a friend with a knife saying he ‘wasn’t going to be able to leave,’ Mr Wilkins said.

The friend picked up a ‘skirting panel’ as Weston had a blade and thrust it towards him. But the court heard friends were laughing and not taking him seriously, the judge said.

Weston had told friends: ‘No you’re not leaving... I’ll stab you right now.’

In the course of waving the knife about he slashed a friend’s jacket but caused no injury.

Weston admitted affray but insisted he never intended to stab anyone or cause them harm.

Sentencing, judge William Ashworth said: ‘The only appropriate sentence for the threatening and use of knives on two occasions is an immediate sentence of custody.’

Judge Ashworth imposed 16 months for the bladed article and 12 months concurrent for the assault occasioning actual bodily harm on March 17. Magistrates had convicted Weston of those two charges.

The judge imposed six months consecutive for the affray on November 14. Weston admitted the offence on the first day of his trial.

Mitigating, Edward Hollingsworh said his client has emotionally unstable personality disorder. He said: ‘He is a young man who is really struggling to find some sort of stable platform for his life.

Mr Hollingsworth said there have been ‘no outbursts of violence’ - although Weston, who had been on remand for 12 months and has autism, had damaged a police cell and been dealt with for contempt of court.