A “family man” armed himself with an axe before confronting a gang of "hostile youths" after months of harassment.
Norman Gray, 50, of Widnes, resorted to arming himself with the weapon, usually used for chopping logs, on the afternoon of Thursday, March 11.
Chris Taylor, prosecuting at Liverpool Crown Court today, told how a witness had spotted Gray with the axe in the street and was “switching it from hand to hand and walking towards a group of four males and one female”, followed by “shouting” between them.
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Phone footage played in court showed Gray with a long-handled axe walking towards the group.
Police had been called to the area over four males “damaging the defendant’s address and vehicle”, namely smashing the windows in his house with a crowbar and hitting his van.
When officers sat him in their car, he said: “I’m not going to lie, I’ve gone round with an axe.
“He’s come out with a shovel, so I’ve gone back.”
Mr Taylor said no action was taken over the suspected vandals as they weren’t “formally identified”.
The ugly scenes on March 11 followed what Mr Taylor said were three months of youths “harassing” Gray’s family, “shouting abuse” and “beeping their vehicles”.
On the day itself, Gray said a male had been “parked on the corner of his street and beeped his horn”.
Later while inside his house, Gray heard a loud smash - he said "four males had come into his house” and smashed windows and damaged his van.
Gray said he “wanted to confront them and ask why they had damaged his property".
He went into his garden where he chopped logs for wood and picked up an axe.
The presence of wood was corroborated by police bodycam footage.
“Family man” Gray, who had no previous convictions, said he had no intention of using the axe but took it to “protect himself” as he knew the group were armed with at least a crowbar.
No-one was assaulted or injured in the noisy row that followed.
Gray later pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to having a bladed article in public.
Mr Taylor agreed there had been “provocation”.
Judge Stuart Driver, presiding, ordered the axe to be destroyed.
He said the presence of “provocation” took the charge to the bottom of its sentencing bracket, adding the “factors in favour of suspending the sentence are well-established”.
Jeremy Rawson, defending, agreed mitigation included provocation and the early guilty plea.
Judge Driver sentenced Gray to eight months in prison, suspended for 12 months, with 50 hours’ unpaid work.
He said: “There are significant mitigating factors - the prosecution accepts that you were provoked by a hostile gang of youths and their behaviour can be seen on the video evidence.
“You are 50 years of age, of previous good character.
“You are a family man with a good employment record and I accept you acted entirely out of character.”
