Man who attacked motorist armed with Stanley knife given new crime prevention order on top of jail sentence

Smith punched vehicle’s owner, who caught crime on CCTV and tried to stop him

Stephen Smith, 37, pled guilty to several offences including possessing a knife (Metropolitan Police)

A man has been jailed for six months and issued with a new knife crime prevention order after pleading guilty to possessing a knife, racially aggravated harassment, theft from a car and assault.

Stephen Smith, 37, of no fixed address, appeared at Thames Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and pled guilty to the charges after breaking in and stealing from a parked car in Walthamstow, London, in August.

Smith punched the vehicle’s owner, who caught the crime on CCTV and tried to stop him, and was quickly arrested on suspicion of common assault and theft from a motor vehicle – during which he was in possession of a Stanley knife for which he was further arrested.

Smith was in possession of this Stanley knife when he was arrested in August (Metropolitan Police)

While in custody, Smith is thought to have verbally abused a Metropolitan Police staff member, calling them “foreign”, which led to a further arrest on suspicion of racially aggravated public order.

The court sentenced Smith to 24 weeks in prison and was fined £300. In addition, he was issued a new knife crime prevention order, which aims to prevent crime and protect with public from knife-related offences.

The civil order, a pilot introduced in July by the Met Police to tackle knife crime in London, can be imposed on anyone aged 12 or above who is known to regularly carry a knife or has been convicted of a knife-related offence.

For Smith, this order means he can not to carry a knife unless for an immediate purpose of eating or preparing a meal.

On KCPOs, Priti Patel said: “One of the hardest parts of my job as home secretary is seeing families ripped apart by the horror of knife crime and I am determined to stop this misery, protect communities and help save lives.

“Knife crime prevention orders will crack down on those carrying weapons while at the same time intervening to steer them away from a life of violence.”

Police superintendent Waheed Khan said: “The sentencing of six months issued at Thames Magistrates’ Court reflects the seriousness of this crime, the impact on the victim and wider community.

“The KCPO with strict conditions and positive requirements is a way to steer this offender away from crime and provide protection for public once the defendant is released from prison.

“I want to assure the public that we, collectively with our partners, are fully committed keeping the public safe and bring offenders to justice.”