Knifeman spared jail because of overcrowding

7:57pm Monday 25th June 2007

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An armed thug who threatened a man with a knife has escaped being jailed because the country's prisons are full.

Nicholas Lampey went to get a kitchen knife after he and his brother were threatened on the way home from a football match.

Both had been attacked by a group of men in Crawley so Lampey, 24, went back to his flat in Brighton Road in the town to get a knife with a ten-inch blade.

Julian Woodbridge, prosecuting, told Hove Crown Court Lampey went to Troy's kebab shop in Southgate, Crawley, to confront a man he thought had attacked his brother.

Lampey pulled the knife from his jacket and threatened his victim with it as he left the shop.

Police were alerted by staff using Crawley's pubwatch radio network and when Lampey was stopped nearby the knife fell from his sleeve after officers grabbed his wrists.

He told police he had only wanted to "shake up" the men he thought responsible for the attack on December 9 last year.

Lampey admitted affray and possessing a bladed article at an earlier hearing and appeared for sentence today.

The court heard he had an earlier conviction for affray in which a train guard was attacked at Lancing station.

Richard Job, defending, said Lampey had turned to religion after he was released from a young offenders' institute when he was 19.

He had stayed out of trouble since then and is now married with a 15-month-old son.

Mr Job added: "He sought a confrontation with the people he believed had assaulted his brother.

"He experienced a rush of blood to his head and took the knife to defend himself from a group of four men."

Lampey was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years.

He must wear an electronic tag and is banned from leaving home between 10pm and 6am for the next four months. He must also do 200 hours unpaid community work.

Judge Richard Hayward told him: "You threatened a young man with a knife in what was a short but ugly incident.

"Use of a knife to make threats is an extremely serious matter.

"There is growing concern about the number of people willing to arm themselves with knives.

"They can be used on the spur of the moment with such devastating and tragic consequences.

"A prison sentence is justified but it need not be immediate.

"Our prisons are extremely full and the truth is that custodial sentences are now reserved for case where there is no alternative."