Drunk knifeman jailed for threatening Bristol pensioner

A drunk who held a knife under the nose of a partially-sighted pensioner in Bristol and threatened to kill her after a bottle of vodka was taken from him has been jailed for three years.

Damien Magee, 35, of Merfield Road, Knowle, turned frenzied and violent after the manager of Spar in Wells Road took a bottle of vodka away from him, Bristol Crown Court was told.

He then brandished a knife at 79-year-old pensioner Mary O'Connor and told her, "I will kill you", before crossing the road and wielding the blade at a man at a cash dispenser and tussling with him.

Magee was disarmed by a doctor running past who wrestled him to the ground with the help of the Spar manager.

Magee was arrested at the scene and then later pleaded guilty to charges of making threats to kill, attempted robbery, assault and theft.

He was handed a three-year prison sentence for public protection and will have to spend the entire term behind bars before the parole board considers his release.

Timothy Hills, prosecuting, told how Magee became violent and frenzied on May 18 this year after he was denied his morning bottle of vodka at Spar.

Mr Hills said: "Magee was a regular visitor to Spar in Wells Road. The manager, Philip Daykin, put a bottle of vodka on the counter and said 'there you are'.

"Magee picked it up and walked out. Mr Daykin got hold of the defendant in a head lock and got the bottle off him.

"The defendant followed him back into the shop and threatened him. He said he had a blade.

"There was a tussle in the street between them."

He said the tussle was witnessed by the defendant's next victim, Mary O'Connor, who was on her way back from church.

The woman, who was partially-sighted, was said to have gone into Spar to collect £1 from her scratch card, before being accosted by Magee.

Mr Hills said: "He put the tip of the knife to her nose and said 'I will kill you'.

"She had the presence of mind to say 'come with me and tell my son why you want to kill his mother'. That caused the defendant to stop the assault on her."

He said Magee then crossed the road to where Adrian Reid was getting money out of a cash machine.

Mr Hills said: "He brandished a knife at Mr Reid who had the fortitude to turn and grasp the defendant's hand. There was a tussle between them as a doctor, Craig Elliott, who was jogging past saw what was going on and intervened. He got hold of the defendant and disarmed him."

In a statement, Mary O'Connor said she was now frightened when she went out and was taking sleeping pills.

The court heard that Magee had a drinking problem and had a previous conviction for attempting to murder his former wife.