Sunderland man brandished weapons in street after ex-partner made assault claim against neighbour

Connor Wardle, 21, grabbed a knife, hammer and scissors from his ex-partner’s home after she claimed she had been assaulted by a neighbour.

But by the time Wardle, of Flodden Road, Ford Estate, discovered the claim was false, he had already been disarmed by another resident and arrested by police.

A court heard he stormed unarmed to the alleged attacker’s home in Plains Farm, in anticipation of a confrontation at 5am on Sunday, July 17.

When his door knock produced a no-show, he returned to his former flame’s home and armed himself with the intention of damaging the man’s car.

Prosecutor Clare Irving said he roamed the street until being confronted by another neighbour who relieved him of the weapons without complaint.

At South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court, Wardle, who has no previous convictions, was spared prison but warned he had come close to losing his liberty.

Jailing him for a year but suspending the sentence for 18 months, District Judge Zoe Passfield told him: “These are extremely serious offences.

“This was the early hours of the morning, you were affected by alcohol in a residential street and there were children around.

“If the person you were looking for had come out of their house, I dread to think how this could have ended.

“This can’t happen again. This is serious enough for a prison sentence.”

Mrs Irving said the woman did not want Wardle to visit because he was drunk.

It was then she made the allegation against the neighbour, which Mrs Irving described as “the motive for this offence”.

She said Wardle went to the alleged assailant’s home but his antics outside only brought a woman to a window.

Wardle then gathered up the weapons and started “walking up and down the street outside”.

Mrs Irving added: “Another neighbour came out and grabbed him by the throat and disarmed him.

“He was arrested and said that he had been drinking and that she told him a neighbour across the street had assaulted her.”

Wardle pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

Richard Copsey, defending, said Wardle’s former partner, with whom he has a son, had admitted the assault did not happen and was just winding him up.

He added: “What is mitigation is that he has no previous offences and entered an early guilty plea.

“I made it quite clear to him that if he had gone to the door with the weapons and had been seen at the door, then this would have been at the crown court.

“He has shown insight and remorse. He’s quite an immature young man.”

Wardle was sentenced to the same suspended sentence on each charge, to run concurrently.

He must complete 20 rehabilitation days and 120 hours of unpaid work, and pay a £187 victim surcharge and £85 court costs.