A man has been sentenced to four years in prison after he admitted to assaulting another man in the early hours of New Year’s Day.
David Daniel, aged 30, appeared before St Albans Crown Court on Monday (31 January) where he pleaded guilty to one count of actual bodily harm (ABH), one count of affray and one count of possession of a bladed article in a public place.
During the same hearing, His Honour Judge Philip Grey sentenced Daniel to a total of four years behind bars for committing the assault in Watford town centre just a few hours into 2022.
The court heard how CCTV captured Daniel attacking the male victim – who was known to him – outside Roosters Piri Piri takeaway on the High Street.
The footage captured the defendant producing a small knife which he used to slash the hand of the victim, causing a minor injury to one of his fingers.
The fracas was witnessed by several people who were making their way home after ringing in the new year. One called the police, who had already been alerted to the disorder by the town’s CCTV operator team.
Daniel fled along Wellstones prior to police arrival, but it was at the junction of Market Street and Exchange Road that he was confronted by a female police officer who demanded that he stop.
He failed to do so and instead ran from the officer. As he made off, the PC witnessed him grab the weapon from his pocket and throw it on to the roof of the nearby Holy Rood Catholic Church. The officer continued to pursue Daniel before detaining and arresting him a short distance away.
Police later carried out a search of the roof and recovered the lock knife Daniel used in the assault, which had an 8cm blade with a black and green handle.
PC Rory Farmer, from the Watford Local Crime Unit, said: “The evidence showed us that the victim in this case did not assault Daniel and instead tried to placate him as he launched his attack. Afterwards, he was checked over by paramedics at the scene but refused hospital treatment.
“Daniel was interviewed, charged, and remanded later this same day, and this case demonstrates that we do – and will continue to do – all that we can to remove dangerous offenders like Daniel from the streets, even if we do not have the support of victims.
“We will not tolerate knife crime in Watford, and we will persist with our mission to protect the public by removing both weapons and offenders from our town.”
If you are concerned about someone you know carrying a knife, visit www.knifefree.co.uk for help and support.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f9jUC5NOgM
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