A doorman has described the moment a drunk dad returned to his pub with a knife down his trousers and threatened to slash his throat.
Mark Lismore, who had been thrown out of the bar due to a row over paying for his drinks, returned with a bread knife down his trousers and warned his victim “that’s how quick it would be to cut your throat” while chillingly running a finger across his neck, Liverpool Crown Court heard this week.
He then bizarrely began shaking hands with bystanders before making a “half-hearted” attempt to bury the weapon in a plant pot, although he now says he “doesn’t remember” the drunken altercation, the ECHO reports.
Liverpool Crown Court heard that Steven Williamson works as a member of security staff at several pubs on Lord Street in Southport, including Punch Tarmey’s and Mavericks.
Lismore, of Leyland Road, had been present in the area on the evening of August 1 this year, with Derek Jones, prosecuting, telling the court: “It would appear that the defendant was getting into trouble with staff at several pubs on Lord Street that evening and had been told to leave one of them earlier on that evening.
“Instead of leaving the area, he appears to have stayed. Mr Williamson talks about the defendant then walking towards himself. He had gone outside the House of Ivy pub, talking to other doormen.
He noted that the defendant appeared to be walking aggressively towards him and said to Mr Williamson, ‘I know who you are’.
“He describes the defendant as being right in his face. He describes the defendant saying, ‘You know what I’ve got’. He lifted his jacket up.
Mr Williamson saw the handle of a knife sticking out of his waistband. Unsurprisingly, at that point, Mr Williamson felt threatened and as though he could be attacked at any moment.
“The defendant then again got into the face of Mr Williamson, put his hand behind Mr Williamson’s head and, with his other hand, ran it across the throat of Mr Williamson, as if intimating that he would slash his throat.
In fact, he actually said, ‘That’s how quick it would be to cut your throat’.
“Mr Williamson states that the knife was never taken out of the waistband. Another member of security said that, at one point, he did see the defendant, before the incident, with the knife in his hand, albeit holding it behind the back of his leg.
“Mr Williamson then said that the defendant became even more erratic and started to try and shake people’s hands. He then walked away. When the police came, the defendant was seen to bury something in a plant pot on Lord Street. When police searched that plant pot, they discovered a knife.”
This was said to have been a kitchen knife with a 20cm serrated blade. In a statement which was read to the court on his behalf, Mr Williamson said: “When the defendant threatened me with a knife, I genuinely believed something terrible was about to happen.
“The fear from that moment has stayed with me. While I’m happy with how my colleagues and I dealt with the situation, I can’t stop thinking about how easily it could have gone wrong. This incident has had a lasting effect on my peace of mind. I now feel like anything can happen without warning.”
When asked by the court clerk whether it was correct that he had pleaded guilty to making threats with a bladed article in a public place during an earlier appearance before the magistrates’ court, Lismore replied: “I don’t remember it, but yes. That’s correct.”
The 35-year-old has a total of 17 previous convictions for 22 offences, including an appearance for inflicting grievous bodily harm in 2009. Charles Lander, defending, said that his client had “no recollection” of the event in question, adding: “The probation officer describes him as polite and engaged.
“He is one of the most remorseful individuals I have come across. He asked if he could apologise to Mr Williamson in person. The defendant knows how appalling his conduct was and how terrifying it would have been to Mr Williamson and his colleagues.
“It is no excuse. Clearly, this defendant had drank far too much. He says that he previously had been using drugs a long time ago, but he has been going to Narcotics Anonymous and has not taken drugs for a long time. He had previously gone to Alcoholics Anonymous but accepts that he had slipped on this day.
Source – Manchester Evening News
