by Paul Hooper

A father and his two children went to visit a pal… and came face to face
with a meat chopper-waving bully!

Richard Warren rang the doorbell of friend Paul Donachie in Margate in
June – only to be confronted by an angry neighbour armed with the
“particularly fearsome” weapon (similar to the library picture left).

Furious Malcolm Haywood screamed vile abuse at the bewildered dad and his young children before threatening to “carve up” Mr Donachie, against whom he held a grudge.

Haywood, 53, of Dane Hill, Margate was given a 12-month jail sentence
suspended for two years and ordered to do 150 hours of unpaid work for
the community.

Judge Simon James also ordered Haywood - who he described as “an
intolerant and anti-social bully”- not to confront Mr Donachie and Mr
Warren for at least three years – or risk going to jail.

He said the terrified Mr Warren and his family were “simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

"you completely lost control of yourself and were utterly unconcerned about who might be caught up in your rage against your neighbour" – judge simon james

A jury had found Haywood – who has a previous conviction for harassment
- guilty of affray after a trial at Canterbury Crown Court. Haywood had
denied the offence.

The court heard how, even as the enraged Haywood was taken away by police, he screamed that he would “carve up” his neighbour when released.

John O’Higgins, defending, said the defendant now accepted that his
behaviour that day was “totally unacceptable”.

He said there had been no further contact between the three, adding:
“He has done some serious thinking and realises there can be no
repetition. He also now demonstrates no animosity (towards the
victims).”

But the judge told the repentant Haywood: “Whatever the provocation, arming oneself with a potentially deadly weapon takes it into a totally different level of seriousness.

“You completely lost control of yourself and were utterly unconcerned
about who might be caught up in your rage against your neighbour.

“Whatever the background, it can never justify what you did towards
entirely innocent people. You brandished a weapon against someone
against whom you had no personal grievance.

“Being confronted by you in a temper and brandishing the weapon must
have been a truly terrifying experience and you did it to invoke the
maximum fear possible.”