Homeless Leeds man jailed for death threats over £8,000 'stolen from bank account'
A homeless man said he was going to stab a man to death, claiming he he had stolen thousands of pounds from his bank account.
Michael Way was staying at the homeless charity, St George’s Crypt in Leeds, when he told a worker what he was planning.
He was jailed at Leeds Crown Court after admitting making threats to kill.
The 58-year-old appeared via video link from HMP Lincoln, but could be heard playing down what he said, claiming people “say it all the time”.
West Yorkshire Police were made aware of threats, that Way had gone to Blackpool to recruit people to shoot the man, saying he had stolen money from his account.
On April 4, he told the site leader at the Leeds homeless charity that an unnamed man owed him and he was going to stab him to death.
The worker was so concerned that the police were contacted and arrested Way half-an-hour later.
He made full admissions in his police interview regarding his plans and showed little care or remorse.
He has nine previous convictions for 18 offences, including possession of a bladed article, for which he was given a three-month suspended sentence which put him in breach with his latest offence.
Mitigating, Ed Youlton gave little in the way of personal mitigation for Way, but it was acknowledged that he had mental-health issues.
Judge Tom Bayliss KC agreed but gave Way a four-month sentence, and activated two months of his suspended sentence, making a total of six months.