An alcoholic with a law degree threatened a neighbour with a knife after feeling she was taunting him that a court case he was involved in didn’t go his way. Nottingham Crown Court heard how 64-year-old addict Neil Harpham held the woman against the wall while clutching the weapon after she told him “the winner takes it all”.
Earlier that day, the defendant had been refused entry to a courthouse as he had turned up smelling of alcohol and the case he was involved in went against him. So he bought more drink and then created the scene with the blade at the communal block of flats where he lives.
Handing him a nine-month jail term, suspended for 18 months, Judge Stuart Rafferty KC said: “You have got a law degree, you’re an intelligent man. You had a drink before you went to court and the court took a view you were under the influence and refused to let you in. The prosecution went against you when perhaps it should not have done and you went back to the pub and drank a lot more. You then went to the off licence and by the evening more drink had been taken and that led to this incident.
“I’m sure you felt like this woman was making fun of you, so after drinking, you lighted the blue touch paper and pulled out the knife to threaten her. Luckily, there were no injuries sustained since you would have been sent to prison if there had been.
Even though you two still live close to one another, there hasn’t been any more conflict since, and you both acknowledge that it’s time for you to face your alcoholism.
“You are 64 now, there is not much time left for you to do it and if you don’t you will simply drink yourself to death and what a waste that would be.”
Lauren Butts, prosecuting, said the incident took place at The Oval, Sutton-in-Ashfield, on August 5, last year. She said following not being let into the court hearing, Harpham went drinking and when he got back to the area the victim and others were outside.
She noticed that he was folding a seven-inch kitchen knife as she looked down. She shoved him away after he made threats, and the defendant fled.
Harpham, of The Oval in Sutton, entered a guilty plea to affray and possessing a bladed article. He has eight convictions total for sixteen offenses.
The judge required him to complete 20 rehabilitation sessions with the probation office as part of the suspended sentence order. He stated he had nothing more to offer in mitigation when he informed his attorney, Chris Brewin, that he would not be sending his client to jail right away.
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