Knifeman caught with blades in Southwater made woman scream with 12-inch machete
A knifeman who frightened a woman with a 12-inch machete has avoided jail despite being caught in possession of blades multiple times.
Joseph Speers, aged 23, was caught with two knives in broad daylight in the middle of the busy Southwater shopping precinct in Telford, then again while in a car, before a further occasion in a hotel, when he frightened the woman.
Shrewsbury Crown Court heard how on August 21, 2019, CCTV operators spotted Speers in Southwater carrying a blade, and immediately alerted police.
"Two officers approached him and told him he would be searched," said David Jackson, prosecuting. The police officers took him to a quieter area to avoid concerning the wider public, but Speers was seen throwing away a lock knife. He told the officers it did not belong to him.
While he was still with the same officers, Speers was seen throwing another knife away. He was asked if he was homeless, and he told the officer: "Yes bro, that's why I need the knife."
On January 10 the following year, police stopped a black BMW he was a passenger in along Haybridge Road, Wellington, Telford, after reports that the driver was involved in criminal activity. Speers was in possession of a lock knife and a small amount of cannabis.
Then, just weeks later on February 2, there were dramatic scenes at the Wynnstay Arms in Wrexham as a woman screamed "he's got a machete!". She had seen Speers in possession of a 12-inch knife with a serrated blade.
Police were called and when they arrived at the hotel, they saw Speers coming down the stairs. He had the knife concealed down the leg of his trousers.
Speers, of Coedpoeth, Wrexham, pleaded guilty to four counts of possession of a bladed article in a public place. He has two previous convictions for burglary.
John Hedgecoe, defending, said that since these offences, Speers has "taken a number of steps to sort out his life". Speers has two young children.
Judge Anthony Lowe handed Speers a 15-month prison sentence, suspended for two years. He also ordered him to pay £350 in court costs.
He told Speers: "Possession of a bladed article in a public place is always regarded as a serious matter. Even if you didn't intend to use it, if you are confronted by someone, in that split moment, you might decide to use it."
Judge Lowe also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the weapons.
