Two doormen who bravely tackled a knife wielding customer ejected from a Stafford pub have been praised by a judge.
The knifeman, John Allen, went home to arm himself with two large kitchen blades having threatened to kill one of the door staff at the Litten Tree in Bridge Street, Stafford Crown Court heard.
He came back and lunged at Shu Luther Defang, who wrestled the knife out of the his hand and put it on the floor, said Pat Sullivan, prosecuting.
The defendant’s response was to pull out another knife, which Mr Defang managed to deflect away with his arm.
One of his colleagues on the door, Elvis Gordon, then stepped forward and between them they took the second knife from Allen, who ran off.
Mr Defang later told police he felt “lucky to be alive”, while Mr Gordon said it was the most frightening experience in his 16 years as a security man.
Allen, aged 30, of Brunswick House, Stafford, was jailed for two years after admitting affray and possessing a blade.
Judge John Maxwell told him: “You not only carried a knife, you used it. It’s true you didn’t cause any injuries, but that was due to the skilled action of the security staff in disarming you.” The judge directed the court to send a letter of commendation to each of the doormen: “They acted with considerable courage.
They were confronted with a very frightening situation.” The violence happened on the night of April 25 when Allen, earlier warned about his behaviour on the pub’s dance floor, was ejected for bouncing into other customers.
He spent five minutes trying to get back in, prevented by Mr Defang.
Allen said ‘I’ll be back, I’ll kill you, I’ll show you I’m a man’.
On his return he tried to walk in to the pub and when Mr Defang blocked him, pulled out the first knife.
As well as frightening the door staff, Allen’s actions also terrified other customers at the pub’s entrance, said Mr Sullivan.
The defendant was arrested shortly afterwards and when he had sobered up said he could remember little about the incident.
Rachel Thompson, defending, said Allen had no previous convictions and had consumed far more alcohol than he normally would.
“He is as shocked by his behaviour as those around him.”
