A prolific offender has been jailed yet again after terrorising a couple while brandishing a golf club.
Darren Jon Hutchinson, 41, was waving the club around outside the couple’s home in Northallerton, shouting: “Come down here – I’m going to kill you.”
The couple were just settling down for the night when they heard “drunken shouting” from outside the property, York Crown Court heard.
“The defendant was walking backwards and forwards and shouting (the male victim’s) name,” said prosecutor Matthew Collins.
“He identified himself as ‘Hutchy’ and was waving a long, silver object (which appeared to be) a golf club.”
Such was Hutchinson’s reputation in the town that the panic-stricken female victim, a mother of young children, “shook so much with anxiety she could not open the bedroom window to ward (Hutchinson) off”, added Mr Collins.
Hutchinson – who has 46 previous convictions for 128 offences, many of them for possessing weapons – ignored the woman’s pleas to leave and shouted: “You’re both going to get it today.”
Police were called and officers arrived at the scene in Knotto Bottom Way. Hutchinson was arrested and police found the chrome-plated golf club he had dumped nearby.
“The defendant said he planned to go golfing to relieve stress and just happened to have the golf club on him at the time,” said Mr Collins.
Hutchinson was charged with affray and possessing an offensive weapon. He denied the allegations and was due to face trial, but was rearraigned on the affray charge via video link on Thursday and pleaded guilty after being remanded in Hull Prison.
He maintained his not-guilty plea to possessing an offensive weapon, namely the golf club. The prosecution accepted this plea and moved to sentence on the affray charge.
The court heard that the incident, at about 10pm on November 26 last year, was the latest in a long list of troubling incidents involving Hutchinson.
The female victim, who was named in court, said she had had “several dealings” with Hutchinson in the past which had left her “scared about leaving the house”.
Referring him to as “Jon”, she said he was “very dangerous” and “always seems to have some sort of weapon on him”.
Hutchinson’s rap sheet – consisting mainly of acquisitive crimes – also includes over 50 weapons offences.
In March last year, he received a six-month jail sentence for possessing Stanley knives. He also has convictions for possessing cannabis.
In 2009, he was jailed for six years – with an extended three-year period on prison licence – for robbery.
Defence barrister Michele Turner said Hutchinson had had a row with his partner before going out onto the street with the golf club, which he discarded at some point.
He had gone outside looking for trouble with “anybody who happened to be handy”.
Be the first to comment