Man armed himself with 10-inch knife at mother's Shropshire pub
A man who armed himself with a kitchen knife at his family's Shropshire pub has been spared prison.
Daniel Mooney, 27, picked up the 10-inch-long implement while customers were at the premises despite efforts to get him to calm down, a court heard.
He previously admitted an offence of possession of an article which had a blade or was sharply pointed, namely a black handled kitchen knife on July 28.
The incident happened at the Inn on the Green, in Bank Farm Road, Radbrook, Shrewsbury.
Prosecuting barrister Mr Nigel Stelling said: "The defendant lives with his mother at a public house at which she is the landlady. He has a chronic dependency on alcohol.
"On July 27 he had been arrested by police on suspicion of criminal damage. He was returned by the police at around 10.30 on July 28.
"His mother told him that she did not want him to drink in the pub anymore. She was particularly aware that they had been losing customers due to his aggressive behaviour."
Mr Stelling said Mooney left, but later phoned his mother and was abusive before returning to the site and helping himself to a drink despite being warned against it.
He said she subsequently became aware that he was being abusive to a customer which caused a further argument resulting in his uncle and another customer trying to get him to calm down.
Afraid
"He went round to the back of the pub and went into the bar area with a knife described as being 10ins long," said Mr Stelling.
"His mother asked for it and he said 'no one is going to arrest me'. She tried to grab his wrist. He moved his arm and put it behind his back.
"She describes being afraid that someone would get stabbed."
The court heard that Mooney, of Willowfield, Woodside, Telford, had been warned by doctors that he would be dead within three years unless he stopped drinking.
Addressing the court on his behalf, his mother said her son had also recently renewed contact with his father who lives in Ireland which was helping him.
She said: "There has been a massive change to his life. After the incident he was upset by what he had done.
"I believe the catalyst was that he was afraid that if he carried on drinking he would be dead."
He was sentenced to 16 months jail suspended for two years. He must attend alcohol treatment for six months, attend 45 activity days and carry out 140 hours unpaid work in the community and pay the victims' surcharge.
