16 months' jail for man who brandished samurai sword on Sheffield street before having shirtless scuffle with love rival

The incident took place in Batemoor Road, Batemoor at around 3pm on September 7 this year, when defendant Neil Turner, 41, approached a man and woman who were walking down the street, Sheffield Crown Court heard.

Susan Evans, prosecuting, told the court that Turner, of Batemoor Road, Batemoor was armed with a samurai sword and said words to the effect of: ‘That’s my woman’.

“The defendant swung the sword around. The female tried to stop him and gets caught by the blade on her hand.

“Both males took off their shirts. There was an argument...they were standing round bare-chested. At some stage the defendant chased the other male.

“He fell over. The defendant held the sword above him and threatened to kill him,” said Ms Evans.

During the course of the altercation, another female arrived on the scene with the sheath for Turner’s sword, the court heard.

Ms Evans said there were ‘a lot of people in the area’ when the incident took place, including a number of children.

The police were called, and prior to them arriving on the scene, Turner ran back to his flat on the street and stashed the sword underneath the mattress in his bedroom.

“The defendant went back outside and was arrested. He answered no comment to all questions in police interview,” said Ms Evans.

Turner’s sword was subsequently found underneath his mattress.

The female suffered a minor cut in the incident, and the male was left with a small injury that was caused when he fell over.

Turner pleaded guilty to offences of possession of an offensive weapon and affray at an earlier hearing.

Ms Evans told the court that Turner has a criminal record of some 16 offences, including convictions for battery and common assault.

Richard Adams, defending, told the court that Turner was ‘very seriously assaulted’ by his girlfriend’s ex-partner in 2017, and his home was subsequently set alight.

Mr Adams said that while these events do not excuse Turner’s behaviour, they may explain his ‘extreme’ reaction to conflict.

“There’s no expressing the shame Mr Turner feels for his actions,” added Mr Adams.

Judge David Dixon jailed Turner for 16 months, and told him he was ‘fortunate’ that those involved in the incident did not suffer more serious injuries.

“There are too many knives in South Yorkshire, and at the first sign of conflict some people think the first thing to do is grab a knife, let alone a sword. The court has to send the message out that it’s not the way to deal with things,” said Judge Dixon.