A MAN in his early twenties has been jailed for brandishing a knife on two male friends in a back alley in Barrow town centre.

Celton Thompson, of Bridgegate Avenue in Barrow, put the blade to the neck of one of the men and demanded items from him after he accused the friends of ‘perving’ on his girlfriend. Preston Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Richard Flook said the woman had gone into the alleyway behind the Theatre Bar in the early hours of the morning on July 24 2022 to urinate when she saw the two complainants.

Mr Flook said: “The defendant came back into the alley and approached the males. They denied they had been looking at his girlfriend.

“He threatened them both with a knife and told the men: ‘Give me everything you have got. Give me all of your money.’

The court heard the two friends retreated away from the scene and went to Arribar where they alerted security before hiding in the toilets.

(Image: Arribar on Cavendish Street, Barrow. Credit: Google Maps) Police were called after staff noticed a male fitting the defendant’s description attempting to obtain entry into the bar, the court was told.

Mr Flook said officers were forced to chase 21-year-old Thompson where he was eventually apprehended close to Cavendish Street.

He added that police successfully recovered a bag – found to contain the knife – which Thompson had thrown into a nearby garden whilst being pursued.

He denied the offence up until the day of his trial on March 27 this year where he pleaded guilty to a single charge of threatening a person with a bladed article.

Representing Thompson, defence barrister James Heyworth said: “He would have been 19 years old when this offence was committed.

"There is nothing to be said in mitigation to having a bladed article on the street and using it in this way.

“It is clearly out of character for him to behave in this way given he has no previous convictions. This was an isolated incident.

“He has a complicated psychology. There are elements which reduce his culpability. He has also abstained from alcohol and completely isolated himself from his friends.

“In my submission, there is a realistic prospect of rehabilitation.”

However, His Honour Judge Philip Parry said the appropriate punishment could only be achieved by an immediate prison sentence.

Before jailing Thompson for nine months, he said: “Knife crime is very serious indeed. It is prevalent in society.

“The public are fearful of people like you carrying knives. You put the knives to the necks of people going about their own business. It was a very frightening incident for them both.

“This is a very serious offence. Offending of this kind calls for an immediate term of imprisonment.”

A deprivation order of the knife was also sought by the judge.