Police pepper-sprayed man after he attacked woman in her own home in Sunderland

Mark James Baird, of no fixed abode, was jailed for a total of six months at Newcastle Magistrates Court. He had initially entered pleas of not guilty to charges of possession of a lock knife, assault and criminal damage but later changed his pleas to guilty before standing trial.

Baird, 29, went to the woman’s home in Sunderland at around 8.15pm on the evening of March 23 this year and barged his way in after being told he was not welcome.

When she asked him to leave the property, he grabbed her face and pushed and threatened her.

Police were called and when they arrived, Baird was confrontational with officers and acting in a threatening manner, as a result of which he was pepper-sprayed.

He was arrested and subsequently searched at which point he was found to be carrying the lock knife in one of his pockets.

Baird was jailed for six months for possession of the knife. Magistrates ruled the offence was aggravated by the fact he had a previous conviction for a similar offence as well as convictions of violence.

In addition to the prison sentence for possession of the blade, Baird was also jailed for three months for the assault and one month for the criminal damage, both sentences to to run concurrently with the six months. He was ordered to pay £150 compensation to his victim for the assault.

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