Men armed with a large machete and a metal pole were involved in a shocking altercation on a Llanelli road, a court has heard. Thomas Davies and Michael Brash confronted each other with the weapons after an argument in a flat spilled out onto the street in front of frightened passers-by.
What prompted the outburst of public disorder is not known as there are conflicting accounts of the incident with both men claiming the other threated him with the machete first. Both men had only been out of prison for a matter of months when they took the weapons onto the street. Sending the pair back to custody a judge described the incident as "ugly, unpleasant, and unnecessary", and he told both men their conduct had been "appalling".
David Singh, prosecuting, told Swansea Crown Court the incident happened on the evening of October 5 this year on Station Road in Llanelli town centre. He said around 7.40pm a witness called police to report two armed men - one carrying a "large machete" and the other a metal pole - who were involved in a disturbance in the street, brandishing the weapons at each and shouting. Police were soon on the scene and arrested the defendants and recovered the weapons. Davies, aged 21, was described as being "irate" and resisted arrest; Brash, aged 50, said he had been in an altercation with his neighbour. In their subsequent interviews Davies said he had picked up the pole for protection, while Brash answered "no comment" to most questions but did admit possession of the machete, and objected he referred to as "the chopper".
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Thomas Jack Davies, of Station Road, Llanelli, had previously pleaded guilty to affray and to possession of an offensive weapon when he appeared in the dock for sentencing. He has 21 previous convictions for 33 offences including affray, public order matters, attempted robbery, criminal damage, and possession of an offensive weapon. He was released from his last sentence of detention in June this year. Michael John Brash - who also goes by the names Craig McCarthy and Adam Hayes - and also of Station Road in Llanelli had previously pleaded guilty to affray and to possession of a bladed article when he appeared alongside his co-defendant. He has 36 previous convictions for 110 offences including robbery, arson, assault, possession of an offensive weapon, possession of a knives - including on one occasion taking a knife to a meeting with a probation officer - and theft. He too was released from his last prison sentence in June this year. For the latest court reports, sign up to our crime newsletter here
Dan Griffiths, for Davies, said there was a dispute between the defendants as to how the incident started in the flat but his client maintains he picked up the metal police after being threatened with the machete by Brash. He said Davies accepted by his pleas that he had been wrong to take the pole out into the street, and he accepted that he had been heavily intoxicated at the time.
James Hartson, for Brash, said the death of the defendant's long-term partner from a drug overdose had seen his mental health "spiralling downwards", but in recent times he had been engaging with drug and alcohol agencies in the community. He said something had clearly happened in a flat on Station Road on the night in question - though with conflicting accounts from the defendants the court may never know exactly what - and they were his instructions that Davies had attacked Brash with the machete, and Brash had disarmed him. The barrister said the defendant accepts possession of the machete in the street but said there was "no swashbuckling-type conduct" with the weapon and no intent or attempt to cause fear to members of the public.
Recorder Benjamin Blakemore said he was sure the emergency services in Llanelli had had better things to do on the night of October 5 than deal with the defendants and their argument. He said whatever happened in the flat that evening it developed into an "ugly, unpleasant, and unnecessary incident" in the street, and he told both men their conduct had been "appalling". He said he accepted the men's conduct had been directed at each other but he said anyone witnessing what went on would have been put in fear. He added: "The public should not have to put up with scenes such as these. The emergency services should not have to put up with and deal with scenes like these."
With one-third discounts for their guilty pleas Davies was sentenced to eight months in prison comprising eight months for affray and 14 weeks for the weapon charge to run concurrently, while Brash was sentenced to six months in prison comprising six months for affray and 21 weeks for the knife charge to run concurrently. The defendants will each serve up to half those sentences in custody before being released on licence to serve the remainder in the community. Davies is currently a serving prison having been recalled to prison to serve the remainder of a previously imposed sentence following his arrest on Station Road - his release date from the recall sentence is in February next year.
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