Northern Ireland

Judge warns that those who arm themselves with knives and use them in public will be jailed

Judge David McFarland was speaking at Belfast Crown Court
Judge David McFarland was speaking at Belfast Crown Court Judge David McFarland was speaking at Belfast Crown Court

BELFAST'S most senior Crown Court judge has warned that those who arm themselves with knives and use them in public will be jailed.

Judge David McFarland was speaking as he sentenced 19-year-old Newtownards man Jake Beattie to 16 months for having a knife and using it to malicious wound a man on February 3 last year.

The Belfast Recorder told Beattie that while it was accepted there was confusion surrounding the circumstances of the stabbing, "what is clear, you had pre-armed yourself with a knife" and the injured party ended up with a "stab wound to the stomach - and you caused that wound".

Prosecution counsel Robin Steer had said the motivation behind the stabbing and the circumstances of what happened were unclear, but the aggravating factor was that a knife was used.

However, Mr Steer said Beattie was only 18 at the time and his guilty pleas were accepted in a case which had many unusual factors and where there were a number of triable issues.

Defence counsel Richard McConkey said this was an "isolated incident... a case where self-defence has gone too far", and there was never any intention to wound or harm the injured party in what had been a "spur of the moment decision by Beattie... a young man full or remorse and full of regret".

Mr McConkey said while on remand Beattie had engaged with authorities and "he can see that staying away from substance misuse is the key to his success".

Judge McFarland told the court that "this type of offending were persons pre-arm themselves with knives and then use them in public has to be met with a prison sentence".