A judge said it was clear Nathan Joyce was “still under the impression that he will be given a little bit of a slap on the hand”
Nathan Joyce, of Mansion Drive in Croxteth, at Liverpool Crown Court(Image: Liverpool Echo)
A teenage tearaway terrified members of the public when he brandished a machete in the middle of a golfing club. Nathan Joyce, 18, produced the large blade in the beer garden of Bowring Park in Knowsley, scaring staff and causing police to be called to the area on July 10 this year.
He appeared in Liverpool Crown Court today, August 18, where he pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article in a public place. Wearing a black and blue tracksuit, he stood in the dock with a bloodied bandage on his left arm.
Sentencing, district judge Gwyn Jones said: “A machete is an extremely dangerous weapon. I have listened carefully to the facts and it’s clear you were there dressed all in black, in a balaclava, with your friend who was not wearing such dark clothing.
“You made your way to the beer garden area of the club where you when showed that you were ‘tooled up’, that you were in possession of the machete. While the court has not heard any evidence from the other parties, it’s clear that a member of staff at the Bowring Park golf course was extremely concerned, which was why he called the police.
“You are 18, subject to orders from the lower court, and that order isn’t going particularly well.
“I don’t have to tell you that possession of knives is something taken extremely seriously by the community and taken very seriously by the court, and you know from your own experience of having been hurt by a bladed article, these are matters that can cause significant pain and death.”
Nathan Joyce, of Mansion Drive in Croxteth, at Liverpool Crown Court(Image: Liverpool Echo)
He added: “You’re now an adult in an adult court, being sentenced in accordance to adult guidelines. However it is also very clear to me that you don’t seem to have made that change from appearing before the youth court to the crown court by way of understanding your precarious position.
“These are very dangerous weapons. People would be fearful on licenced premises – a massive danger of public disorder. You wanted to be seen carrying a machete.
“Your record of offending does you no favours because you were given, in the youth court, a YRO (youth rehabilitation order), which is the sentence closest you can get to a custodial sentence at that court.
“You have not worked particularly well and it’s clear that you may still be under the impression that you will be given a little bit of a slap on the hand for not doing what you should be doing. However, you are an adult and now the sentencing options are significantly different.
“Those who carry knives have a serious risk of harm. You should know. You have been hurt yourself. You had been using ketamine. You may not be aware of the significant consequences of that.”
He said: “You have an unhealthy degree of arrogance and a lack of maturity. Had this progressed fully as a trial, the sentence would have been in the region of two years.”
He sentenced Joyce, of Mansion Drive in Croxteth, to 12 months in a Young Offenders Institution, suspended for 18 months. He also ordered the teenager to carry out 160 hours of unpaid work.