Colchester man jailed for threatening pub landlord with knife

Craig Curtis, whose licence period for a previous knife offence had expired nine days before the incident, was at Ye Olde Albion pub in Rowhedge on Saturday, February 17.

Ipswich Crown Court heard on Friday how Curtis, 39, was behaving “normally and politely” until barman Matthew Thompson noticed his behaviour become increasingly agitated.

Eleanor Gwilym, prosecuting, said the barman refused to serve Curtis any more alcohol which prompted the defendant – who had been drinking 8.2 per cent cider – to become aggressive.

She said: “Curtis looked right at Thompson and said threatening words to him.

Pub - the incident took place at Ye Olde Albion pub in Rowhedge (Image: Newsquest)

“Mr Thompson was scared violence could have been used against him, and because of that escalation, another member of staff went to alert the pub landlords.”

When landlord Simon Taylor-Williams arrived to try and diffuse the situation, Curtis threatened to kill him.

He tried to punch him and looked “incredibly dangerous”, according to Mr Taylor-Williams.

Ms Gwilym continued: “He made threats to kill Mr Taylor-Williams.

“Mr Taylor Williams felt vulnerable and feared those threats may have been carried out.

“His hand then went into the waist of his jogging bottoms and he pulled out a knife.”

The landlord shouted “blade” and several customers helped restrain Curtis.

The defendant, of no fixed address, admitted threatening another with a knife and later admitted to possession of a bladed article on the first day of his trial.

Siobhan Livingston, mitigating, said Curtis has severe mental health problems and had told customers during the incident that he wanted to die.

She added Curtis was taken into foster care after he was attacked by his mother as a child.

Sentencing Curtis, Judge Richard Conley told Curtis his record for weapon possession was one of the worst he had seen.

He said: “For reasons which frankly beggar belief given your psychiatric history and various problems, you were drinking very strong cider.”

He added: "Your previous record, I have to say, is one of the worst I have ever seen in terms of possession of weapons.”

Curtis was jailed for two and a half years.

'I am going to draw back from imposing statutory maximum'

A JUDGE has decided to spare a defendant from serving the maximum prison sentence for knife offending because of the defendant’s “genuine” desire to turn his life around.

Craig Curtis was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on Friday for threatening a landlord with a bladed article and brandishing the weapon at Ye Olde Albion Pub in February.

Judge Richard Conley took a dim view of Curtis’s long history of knife offences but said he would decide against passing an extended sentence.

Court - Craig Curtis was sentenced at Ipswich Crown Court on Firday (Image: Daniel Rees, Newsquest)

He said: “I recognise you were in the grip of some sort of mental meltdown, but I can’t ignore the fact that you threatened others and others could have been seriously hurt.”

He added he had a “genuine” belief Curtis wants to break the cycle of offending, but said his offending was too serious to pass anything other than a prison sentence.

“If it was less serious, I would be prepared to give you an opportunity.

“Given your extensive record of offences involving knives, I would take the view that they are such that would allow me to impose a sentence nearer to the statutory maximum.

“I am going to draw back from that, mostly because of what I have read in your letter and in the psychiatric report.

“I am going to keep the sentence inside the normal range, but only just.”