A ROW over an open car door blocking a pavement on a street in Carlisle escalated alarmingly when a resident was chased into his home by an angry man brandishing a large knife.

Corey Barron, 31, then repeatedly stabbed the door that the man he was chasing slammed in his face, the city’s crown court heard.

Barron was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to charges of affray and having a bladed article in a public place with no reasonable excuse.

Isabelle Denn-White, prosecuting, said the confrontation happened on the afternoon of April 15 after a woman yelled at the man because his car door was open while he was talking to a woman on Prescott Road, Longsowerby, where he lives.

She yelled abuse at the man, shouting and swearing as she told him she could not walk past because his car door was open. At one point, she pushed the man in his chest, said the prosecutor.

“A few minutes later,” continued Miss Denn-White, “the victim and the female were still standing outside when a [car] pulled up a short distance away and Mr Barron exited from the passenger side, shouting: ‘What have you been saying to my woman?'”

He then ran towards the man, pulling an eight-inch long knife from his pocket and yelling: “Come on then!”

The man immediately ran into his house as Barron followed, only to be met by the door being slammed. Police later found four holes in the door – the result of Barron repeatedly stabbing it.

When Barron retreated back down the driveway, the man involved opened his front door and he could be seen inside holding a baseball bat to protect himself. Barron continued shouting at him, urging him to “come outside.”

In a victim impact statement, the resident said the incident had left him fearful for his family when he was out of the house at work. He also feared that the bad feeling on display could escalate further.

The court heard that Barron, formerly of Low Meadow, Carlisle, but now living at Great Orton, has two previous offensive weapons convictions.

Jeff Smith, defending, said the defendant felt the events that day had been “an accident waiting to happen” following a change in medication which led to a deterioration in his mental health.

He felt that change in medication was one of the triggers for what happened. Having ceased taking the medication he was on, and with support from mental health services at Durham Prison, Barron now felt more in control of his emotions.

In the past, he had almost looked forward to custody because it provided him with security; but now prison was a problem for Barron because it separated him from his family, said Mr Smith.

“He cherishes that family, which has changed his life,” said the lawyer.

Judge Nicholas Barker noted that Barron’s offending had slowed over the last seven years but his reaction to the row over the car door was 'extreme.'

“The first thing you did was arm yourself with an eight-inch-long knife, with the intention of going to confront [the victim and his partner],” said the judge.

It was accepted that he did not intend to cause harm with the knife. But brandishing that knife could have caused an escalation of violence and the impact of knife crime was sadly seen in news reports.

The victim had been in 'total fear'. Judge Barker said: “It’s a serious example of public disorder and [the victim] speaks of the fear he has for the safety of his family when he leaves them to go to work.”

Noting the defendant’s mental health issues and his settled family life as well as his remorse, the judge imposed 15 months jail.

The seriousness of the offending – involving brandishing a knife in a public place – meant the sentence could not be suspended.