South Yorkshire man jailed for arming himself and damaging car of alleged drug dealer

A South Yorkshire man has been jailed for arming himself with a kitchen knife and damaging the car of a man he claimed had been supplying drugs to members of his family.
A South Yorkshire man has been jailed for arming himself with a kitchen knife and damaging the car of a man he claimed had been supplying drugs to members of his family.A South Yorkshire man has been jailed for arming himself with a kitchen knife and damaging the car of a man he claimed had been supplying drugs to members of his family.
A South Yorkshire man has been jailed for arming himself with a kitchen knife and damaging the car of a man he claimed had been supplying drugs to members of his family.

The terrifying incident took place at around 12.30pm on November 7 last year, when 42-year-old Paul Sorsby knocked on the door of a property in Rotherham, and demanded to speak to a man known as 'Shelly,' Sheffield Crown Court heard.

"His partner answered the door and told him he wasn't there, but he repeatedly asked for him. He picked up a metal bar and said: 'I'll show you what I'm going to do, I've got nothing to lose. I'm going down for 13 years," said James Gelsthorpe, prosecuting.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Sorsby then began smashing the Renault vehicle of the woman who answered the door, before doing the same to the Hyundai vehicle believed to belong to the man he referred to as 'Shelly'.

Mr Gelsthorpe added: "The defendant was outside the property with another person, a female, and after smashing the woman's vehicle they got into a taxi and left the area."

The court heard how Sorsby, of Rufford Road, Bramley, Rotherham returned to the property that evening, and once again began banging on the door and shouting for Shelly.

"She didn't answer the door this time, but became aware that the police had attended and arrested the defendant . She saw her door had been damaged, seemingly by a sharp item," said Mr Gelsthorpe.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Neighbours called the police when they heard Sorsby making a disturbance, and the 12-inch kitchen knife he used to damage the door was found nearby when officers attended the scene.

Sorsby refused to cooperate with the police and told officers: 'see if you can follow me' before attempting to escape and becoming trapped in some bushes.

Mr Gelsthorpe said: "By this stage firearm officers were deployed to the scene, and after he continued to resist arrest an officer used a taser on him and he was detained."

Sorsby pleaded guilty to three counts of criminal damage, a count of possessing an offensive weapon and to breaching a conditional discharge.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Both the female and the male complainants in the case refused to provide police with further information or victim impact statements, the court heard.

Dermot Hughes, defending, told the court that Sorsby carried out the offending because the male complainant had been supplying members of his family with smack and crack.

"The defendant felt he was supporting genuine misery of his family members," added Mr Hughes.

The court was told how Sorsby has previously been convicted of three offences concerning the possession of weapons - meaning the court was obliged to pass a mandatory minimum six month sentence for the use of a knife in the criminal damage attack.

Judge Robert Moore sentenced Sorsby to 13-months in prison.

He told him: "I take the view this is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence can be justified."