Judge praises boys who defended woman from Telford man armed with knife

Brendan McKenna was jailed at Shrewsbury Crown Court after he admitted assaulting the victim and causing actual bodily harm to the two boys.

The court heard McKenna, 42, of Wyvern, Woodside, Telford, had been drinking while watching England’s World Cup semi-final match against Croatia on July 11 and launched the attack after England lost.

He lunged at the victim in a living room and landed on top of her, before spitting at her. During the scuffle she suffered a scratch.

McKenna went upstairs but then fetched a six-inch knife from the kitchen and returned to the living room to confront the victim with it.

The two teenagers attempted to restrain McKenna and take the knife from him, both suffering cuts to their fingers in the process.

The knife was eventually wrestled from him by a third person and the police were called.

Apologise

Mr Andrew Wallace, prosecuting, told the court McKenna had seven previous convictions for offences involving weapons, as well as others for violence including causing grievous bodily harm in 2015.

Ms Debra White, defending, said: “He does apologise for the way in which he behaved. There is a long history of substance abuse and alcohol use, which doesn’t excuse his behaviour but does explain his lifestyle.

“The injuries were not caused intentionally but were caused recklessly.”

Judge Peter Barrie sentenced McKenna to 45 weeks imprisonment for each of the two ABH charges and 16 weeks for the assault, which will all run concurrently.

He will be subject to 12 months supervision upon release.

The judge said: “You were drunk and you got worked up about the football, and for no obvious reason resorted to violence.

“It is greatly to the credit of those two young men that they went to the protection of the victim when you were wielding a knife.”