Man threatened pool player with knife after losing £20 in a game at Wakefield pub

Joseph Reid, 41, of Parkinson Close, Wakefield was sentenced to 18 months after pleading guilty to threatening behaviour with a bladed article and two counts of actual bodily harm.

Leeds Crown Court heard today (Monday) that on August 11 last year, he and a woman were at the Butchers Arms pub and he was playing pool with the victim, Jake Mosley. After a few games they decided to play for money and Reid lost but accused Mr Mosley of cheating.

Heather Gilmore, prosecuting, said there was pushing and shoving and play-fighting between the two before Reid and the woman left the pub by taxi.

However, after getting home Reid told the taxi to wait, took a knife from the kitchen and went back to the pub.

Ms Gilmore said: “He jumped out of the car and somebody shouted ‘he has a knife’.

“He was waving the knife around, being aggressive and shouting ‘I will kill him’.”

She added that two other men in the pub both grabbed Reid to restrain him. One suffered a scratch to his arm and the other a deep cut to his hand.

The drama ended when a passing policeman was flagged down and Reid was arrested. When he was shown CCTV footage he told police he couldn’t remember it.

Sajid Majeed, defending Reid, said the builder rarely went out because he was his seriously ill father’s main carer.

Judge Neil Clark said: “The first part was nothing which amounted to an offence but you returned to commit three serious offences. Taking a knife to a pub, threatening people and injuring two members of the public has to lead to a custodial sentence.”