Chesterfield man stabbed pal in neck with glass during girlfriend row in pub

Oliver Elliott, 20, “swung” at his friend - an old college mate - after storming into a pub beer garden to confront him.

Derby Crown Court heard Elliott had recently lost his job and blamed his victim and other “mutual friends” for a split with his partner when the violent scene erupted on September 16 last year.

Prosecutor Sarah Allen said: “(The victim) described the defendant as not himself at the time.

“He was in the public house with friends when he received an emotional phone call from the defendant at 8.30pm.

“The defendant became angry on the phone and said ‘if I had a glass I would come and stab you and kill you’.

“At 9pm he came to the public house - he approached (the victim) in the beer garden and said ‘you just p***** off the wrong person’.

“He picked up a piece of glass and swung it at (the victim’s) neck.”

The court heard that, luckily, the shard struck Elliott’s friend in the back of the neck and he was not badly hurt - the attack came to an end after Elliott was wrestled to the ground.

Ms Allen said Elliott was of previous good character with no convictions.

Recorder Simon King told Elliott: “I’ve seen photographs of the injury - it’s luck rather than judgement on your part that he was not more seriously injured.

“If you assault others using a weapon terrible things can happen without them necessarily being intended.

“For that reason people who commit these sort of offences should generally expect to go to prison.

“I’ve read a great deal about you in references from your mum and dad, your cousin, a neighbour, an uncle and your granddad and other people who plainly all think pretty highly of you.

“I’m prepared to accept you’re not a bad person - you seem to have lost your way slightly over the last year or two. I hope things are better now than they have been.

“Behaviour of the sort you indulged in on September 16 of last year will lead you through the doors of this court and will, if it happens again, almost certainly lead down the stairs through the door behind you.

“You’re getting another chance because you're still young, you are not someone who has been involved with the police or law in the past - I accept this was out of character.

“I think you have encountered difficulties - a lot of young people at your stage of life encounter difficulties - I hope you take the appropriate help and treatment and overcome these difficulties.

“You have plainly got a family who love you and support you - you need to help them to help you.”

Elliott, of Boythorpe Crescent, Boythorpe, admitted assault with actual bodily harm and possession of an offensive weapon.

He was jailed for 6 months suspended for two years, handed 100 hours unpaid work, 30 rehabilitation activity days and a 60-day alcohol abstinence requirement.

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