Liam Spillane, 25, gets 16 months for threatening a couple with a knife on North Street in Keighley after accusing them of hurting his friend.
Emily Hassell is a prosecutor. She spoke about the event in court. Spillane, age 25, went to a man and woman outside a store on North Street in Keighley. This happened at 4 PM on January 4.
Spillane accused them of hurting his friend and told the pair they would die. The woman tried to calm Spillane down, but he responded with a threat, pulling out a six-inch steak knife. He waved the knife at the man.
The man feared he would be stabbed. He then ran into the store, closed the door and called for police. The woman remained outside with Spillane, who was very angry with the man.
Spillane yelled he would kill him and the woman asked Spillane to calm down. He still held the knife in his hand. Spillane shouted through the shop window, telling the man to come outside.
He then put the knife in his pocket, but the handle of the knife was showing. The woman grabbed the knife handle. She tried to disarm Spillane, grabbing the woman’s clothing.
They both fell to the ground then, in what the court described as a tussle. The man came out to help her and punched Spillane’s face many times. Spillane ran away after that.
Police found Spillane a few hours later. He said he had been in a fight. He later claimed he had fallen over and told police it was his fault, so his behavior seemed very strange.
Police took him to the hospital where he had deep cuts on his hands. They arrested Spillane at the hospital. He said he drank alcohol that day and that he had issues with the couple. She had threatened him with the knife.
Spillane lives on Oakworth Road in Keighley and had past convictions before this. These included a weapon charge for having a hammer in public, as well as arson and theft charges.
Saf Salam spoke for Spillane in court, saying Spillane did not plan the threats. The event happened suddenly and came from a highly emotional moment. Spillane had paranoid schizophrenia before.
He spent three years in a hospital before this incident. He had been out only two months before the knife incident. He knew what he did, said Salam, and he is not hiding behind his sickness.
Judge Abdul Iqbal gave the sentence. Spillane got 16 months for the knife and four weeks for the assault, but he will serve all the sentences at once. He caused great fear and distress.
This incident went on too long and his actions risked public disorder. He threatened both of them with death. Judge Iqbal ordered the knife destroyed.