Yahoo News Walker man caught waving metal pole and baseball bat around on street
A man was caught waving a metal pole and a baseball bat in the street after his window was "smashed by youths".
William Tait snapped when a brick was thrown through his window and went outside armed with the weapons, a court was told. Paramedics, who were in attendance because the 56-year-old's wife had fallen ill, alerted the police and officers quickly arrived on the scene in Walker.
Tait was heard stating he was taking the pole and bat outside "for a fight" but the youths had fled and he instead was arrested. Tait, who has previous convictions for carrying weapons and knives from 2012, appeared at Newcastle Magistrates' Court this week to plead guilty to two counts of possession of an offensive weapon.
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Gurjot Kaur, prosecuting, said paramedics were attending to Tait's wife at Wardroper Court, in Walker, and noticed a disturbance taking place, so notified the police. Ms Kaur continued: "A window gets smashed at the defendant's flat and the defendant has gone outside to remonstrate with those responsible.
"He's gone outside with a baseball bat and metal pole and he says he's going out to fight." Adrion Ions, defending, said a group of "feral" youths had been "terrorising" the block of flats for months by smashing car and windows.
"On the night in question, Mr Tait's partner was taken seriously ill and was being treated by paramedics," Mr Ions continued. "This gang then arrives to terrorise the flats. They smash up two cars and a brick then goes through Mr Tait's window, narrowly missing his wife's head.
"Mr Tait then became overwrought with that situation and he's got a bat and small Aluminium pipe in the property and goes outside to defend his property."
Because of his previous weapons conviction, Tait was facing a mandatory six-month prison sentence but magistrates found there were exceptional circumstances because "there was provocation from a gang attacking the property and cars within the local area, specifically the defendant's block of flats, he was anxious about his wife, paramedics were in attendance and then a brick was put through the window in a stressful, heightened situation".
Instead, he was given a 12-month community order and must pay £85 costs.
