Jail for Coningsby pub knife incident

A man who produced a large, machete-type knife, from the back of his trousers in the middle of a Coningsby pub was sentenced to 13 months in prison following a conviction at Lincoln Crown Court on Friday (9 August), he was ordered to pay £187 costs and was handed an order preventing him from entering the Black Swan public house for two years.

Steven Stone, 34, of Milson Close, Coningsby, pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article in a public place, possession of a controlled drug of Class A (cocaine) and possession of a controlled drug of Class B (cannabis).

Officers were called to the Black Swan pub on the High Street at Coningsby, just after 11pm on Saturday 6 July. Stone had been talking to a number of people in the pub that evening.  He left the premises then returned again a short while later.  During a discussion with a woman, he pulled a large knife from the back of his trousers.  He held it behind his back when confronted by another member of the public, then started to wield the knife around in the air. The knife was safely removed from Stone by two patrons of the pub. After a further altercation between Stone and another man, Stone fled the pub. He was soon located by officers on Park Lane, Coningsby, where he was arrested for possession of a bladed article in a public place, and possessions of controlled Class A and B drugs, which were located on him as he was searched. He was remanded into custody until his sentencing.

Thankfully no significant injuries were sustained during the incident.

"This was an isolated incident in a local village pub that could have ended very differently”, said Sgt Robert Sim, who was in charge of the case. “Not only did Steven Stone think it was acceptable to carry and conceal a large machete on his person in a public place, he then thought without any hesitation to pull the knife out in a busy pub, and raise it up in the air whilst then arguing with other customers who were happily enjoying their evening. His actions led to larger disorder within the pub which caused members of the public to fear for their safety.

“I would like to again reiterate that this was an isolated incident and reassure members of the public that Lincolnshire police will deal with offences of this nature as robustly as possible.

“I would also like to thank all of the members of the public on the night for assisting officers and to also thank all the officers that have worked on this case, achieving a swift and positive outcome with Stone receiving a custodial sentence.”

Pictured: Steven Stone

Pictured: Machete-type knife, next to a 30cm ruler