A knife carrier who previously threatened to stab his neighbour’s dog has been sentenced after he was caught carrying weapons for a second time.
Sukhvir Raj received a suspended sentence at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Wednesday (April 1) after he pleaded guilty to two charges of carrying bladed articles in public.
The court heard that on the morning of March 22, 2024, off duty police officers saw the 30-year-old standing at the dead end of Spilsby Road, Harold Hill.
Deeming his behaviour suspicious, on duty police officers were called to the cul-de-sac.
When they approached Raj he sprinted away but two officers caught up and wrestled him to the ground.
During the struggle a Stanley knife fell from his trouser pocket and a subsequent search revealed he also had a rusty serrated blade in his coat pocket, the court heard.
He was already subject to a suspended prison sentence at the time of this offence following an incident in April 2023 when he threw a glass bottle at a neighbour and his dog before producing a kitchen knife and threatened to stab the dog.
In mitigation, the court heard that Raj was diagnosed with schizophrenia and is now receiving medication.
Raj, from Harold Hill, was given a one-year sentence suspended for two years.
Recorder Farrhat Arshad KC told him: “You are being given a chance here. You’ve got to understand you probably won’t get this chance again so if you do get in any more trouble it’ll be immediate custody.”
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