Machete-armed pair jailed
Two men launched an early morning machete attack at the Northamptonshire home of a man they claimed was threatening their families.
Barry Lee, aged 44, from Northampton, and Clifford Price, 35, of Market Harborough, were armed with a machete and an iron saddle ring when they called at Fred Vincent's home.
Northampton Crown Court heard how they arrived in The Stour, on Daventry's Grange estate at 2am on Sunday, May 3.
Alex Bull, prosecuting, said Mr Vincent, his partner and three children had been asleep before he let both men into the property.
Lee was carrying a machete in his left hand and swung it at Mr Vincent, cutting his forearm.
Miss Bull said: "They ran from the house and into the rear garden of a neighbouring property – Lee with the machete and Price with a large gypsy saddle ring in his right hand."
The three men got into a struggle, with Mr Vincent being repeatedly punched.
The court heard another cut was caused to his back as the machete was drawn out from under him as he lay on the ground.
Miss Bull said the second knife injury to Mr Vincent could be considered initially as self-defence which had "gone too far" as he suffered injuries to his scalp, arms and back.
Price and Lee were arrested six hours later in Kettering Road, Northampton and said Vincent had threatened their "women and children".
However, he later informed police officers it was the other way round.
Lee, of Montgomery Way, Wootton and Price, of Greenacres in Market Harborough previously pleaded guilty to wounding Mr Vincent with intent and were jailed for two years.
Passing sentence, Recorder Shaun Smith, QC, said: "People who use weapons to inflict injuries go to prison even when of good character and there's no reason for going there to sort things out.
"There's no excuse for taking a weapon and no excuse for using it. It's important that the public know the injuries received by this man were of the least serious kind that can be inflicted by a weapon – a two-centimetre laceration requiring one stitch. And not much force was used to inflict it."
David Charman, defending, said both men admitted their involvement and were both of previous good character.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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