Hartlepool man threatened former friend with knife after he declined to make-up following fall-out

Sean Carroll, 30, from Hartlepool, fell out with his friend after he refused to sell him some prescription drugs.

He turned up in the man’s garden on September 5 offering his hand in friendship but when it was rejected he pulled a knife from a bag.

Alarmed neighbours in Frederick Street, Hartlepool, rang the police when the man answered the door and then Carroll smashed a window with the weapon, Teesside Crown Court was told.

Carroll told officers that he never carried knives, but they found the bag and recovered the knife.

Prosecutor Rachel Masters said that he had 34 convictions for 47 offences including disorderly conduct, affray and harassment.

Paul Cleasby, defending, said that there was a 10-page pre-sentence report dealing with Carroll’s personal circumstances and a recent bereavement, showing that he had engaged with people who were trying to help him.

He said that the report suggested that he could be dealt with in the community after a previous drug rehabilitation order made a significant difference to his life.

Mr Cleasby said that Carroll, who appeared over a videolink from Durham Jail, had been able to reflect on his irrational behaviour during his time in custody.

Judge Peter Armstrong told Carroll: “You have got a poor record for offending including previous disorder and harassment.

”People saw you in the street with this knife and no doubt they were alarmed for what might happen, that is the serious aspect of it.”

Carroll of Firby Close, Hartlepool, was jailed for six months after he pleaded guilty to possessing a knife in public and criminal damage

The judge ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the knife.