A teenager from the Isle of Wight was arrested and sentenced after being found in the middle of the road with a craft knife while experiencing “emotional turmoil” due to the deaths of his uncle and a friend.
On Friday, May 17, Jayden Dewhurst, of Hunnyhill, Newport, made an appearance before Isle of Wight magistrates.
During an earlier hearing in April, the 19-year-old acknowledged having a knife on March 18 in a public setting in Newport.
Liz Miller, the prosecutor, stated that at about 2:00 pm, police in Newport, on Angelica Grove, received a report of a person making trouble.
She claimed that Dewhurst, the guy, was out on the road, heavily intoxicated, and in possession of a craft knife.
The court heard that the first police officer on the scene was a dog-wielding cop who gave him explicit orders to put down the knife, which he duly did, laying it on the ground.
Dewhurst had blood on his arms, according to Ms. Miller.
The defence attorney, Michael McGoldrick, stated that a pre-sentence report was available and that the sentencing process was intricate.
He said Dewhurst was facing a minimum six-month jail sentence, barring any extraordinary circumstances, due to a prior conviction for possession of an offensive weapon.
Mr. McGoldrick contended that the situation was unique, citing his prior 14-year-old conviction for having a monkey wrench in his hands while having untreated ADHD at the time.
The court heard that after the deaths of a friend and his uncle, Dewhurst was experiencing mental upheaval at the time of the offence.
According to Mr. McGoldrick, Dewhurst had been experiencing neurological problems that were the cause of his struggles and distress.
He said that Dewhurst, who might have been suffering from drug-induced psychosis, did not even recognise the knife and that the incident and the seven days prior were a blank to him.
He claimed he could be controlled in the community, was ready for rehabilitation, was terrified of the idea of going to jail, and would struggle in a prison setting.
Beyond their guidelines, the magistrates found “some exceptional circumstances” and sentenced Dewhurst to 15 weeks in prison.
Mr. McGoldrick filed an appeal later that day to have his case heard by the higher court.
He applied for his client’s release on bond, informing the bench that all default prisons were full and that the prisons were unlikely to accept him because of his age.
Dewhurst, he argued, was a prime candidate for bail.
Judges rejected Dewhurst’s request for release, concluding that there were no extraordinary circumstances.
