Hartlepool drug dealer who wielded axe in street fight spared jail due to ill wife

Terence Thompson, 59, was seen on CCTV wielding a hand axe during a fight involving weapons in Kathleen Street, Hartlepool, last November.

He was also shouting and using aggressive language, Teesside Crown Court heard.

When police searched Thompson’s house in Kendal Road they found a variety of drugs.

He pleaded guilty to possession of class B and C drugs with intent to supply, possession of class a A drug, affray and having a blade in public.

But he was spared immediate prison after the judge was presented with medical evidence of Thompson’s “extremely ill” partner who he is the full time carer for.

More news: Woman assisted in £13,000 Mercedes theft from Hartlepool car dealership

Thompson, now of Grosvenor Street, Hartlepool, was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment, which was suspended for two years.

Judge Jonathan Carroll said his partner’s illness was the only reason he was not jailed, warning: “This is the only chance you will get.”