Man who slashed out at public in Belfast city centre with jagged beer can sentenced

The 24-year-old brandished the improvised weapon and said he’d ‘cut people up’

A man who slashed at shoppers in Belfast city centre with a beer can torn in half to form a sharp-edged weapon has been jailed for six months.

Sean Savage, 34, brandished the adapted tin and declared that he was going to “cut people up”. A judge at Belfast Magistrates’ Court said any witnesses would have been terrified by his actions.

Savage, of Juniper Park in Dunmurry, pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon with intent to commit assault occasioning actual bodily harm, criminal damage and obstructing police.

Prosecutors said he was spotted ripping the beer can in half to produce a sharp edge while in the Royal Avenue area on May 16 this year.

“Staff at JD Sports observed the defendant swinging and slashing this towards members of the public,” a Crown lawyer told the court.

“He was spoken to by security and explained to them that he was going to cut people up.”

Armed response police officers were called to the scene and detained Savage in a nearby area. The specially adapted, flattened beer can was located in his pocket.

Savage initially provided a false name and date of birth to the arresting officers. Defence solicitor Pearse MacDermott conceded it was a “bad incident” fuelled by drug-taking.

He argued that shop staff who witnessed his client’s actions have stated they did not feel threatened.

District Judge Anne Marshall responded: “What about members of the public? If you saw this would you not rightly be terrified?”

With Savage currently in custody for separate offences, Mr MacDermott disclosed he had been due for imminent release and wanted to visit his ill mother.

However, Judge Marshall described his criminal record as “dreadful”.

Imposing six months custody, she said: “This would have been a very frightening incident for anybody in the vicinity of this very public place.”

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