Knife-wielding South Yorkshire thug is jailed after he threatened to blind a man

Sheffield Crown Court heard on May 5 how Vincent O’Grady, aged 48, of Norwood Steet, near Dalton, in Rotherham, had believed two men inside his neighbour’s home had stolen something when he turned up banging on his neighbour’s door armed with a knife.

Louise Gallagher, prosecuting, said the defendant lived in a flat below the complainant’s home and he had been knocking loudly at his door until it was unlocked and he lunged forward with a knife.

Ms Gallagher added the complainant’s clothing was punctured and after pinning him to a wall O’Grady held the knife to one of his victim’s eyes and said he would put it through his eye.

Judge David Dixon told O’Grady: “What was an extremely unpleasant incident took place in a house where people should have felt safe. You produced a knife and caused a minor injury and you threatened to do worse and you carried on and carried on. It is a very serious incident.”

Ms Gallagher added that O’Grady also went to a bedroom where the other two men in the property held the bedroom door closed before police arrived at the scene.

The complainant stated he suffered a small puncture wound with grazing but no bleeding and he had thought O’Grady was going to seriously injure him or kill him.

O’Grady, who has previous convictions, pleaded guilty to affray after the incident on January 29, 2022.

Clarkson Baptiste, defending, said O’Grady and the complainant had been friends and they had both shared an addiction to class A drugs.

Mr Baptiste added the defendant claimed the other two men in the property had been responsible for a theft and he had wanted to speak to them.

The court heard O’Grady had suffered trauma after he had served in the Armed Forces and he had turned to drugs and alcohol and he was deeply ashamed of his actions.

Judge Dixon told O’Grady: “The tragedy for you is that you had managed to go a number of years without any appearance before the court.”

He sentenced O’Grady to 22 months of custody and imposed a five-year restraining order to protect the complainant.