SENTENCING of a man who produced a knife in a road rage incident has been delayed.
Judge Niclas Parry, sitting at Mold Crown Court, took the step when he heard that two different versions of events were being put forward and he was not prepared to sentence Timothy John Warren without evidence being called.
Warren, 46, of Henry Street, Ruabon, admitted possessing the knife in Stansty Road, Wrexham, on August 25. The judge re-bailed him.
Matthew Dunsford, prosecuting, said the incident happened at about 6.30pm on Wednesday, August 25. Warren was driving a red Toyota on the A548 near Wrexham and a learner driver, aged 17, was in a silver Vauxhall being supervised by John Osborne.
Mr Dunsford said Warren “drove discourteously” towards the learner driver and both made gestures towards each other. Both vehicles left the A548 near B&Q and came to a stop near a roundabout.
Warren and Mr Osborne got out and Warren pushed Mr Osborne away.
Mr Osborne asked: “Don't you realise he is just a learner driver?”
Warren said: “Come down here. We will sort it out down there,” and both vehicles went to a nearby road.
Both got out and approached each other and Mr Osborne said he could see Warren had something behind his back.
When he was about 4ft away Warren produced a knife, asking: “Where’s your balls?”
Mr Osborne shouted at the learner driver to ring the police. Warren snatched his phone, although he later gave it back. Police arrived and seized a kitchen knife with a 4.5in blade from Warren’s car.
Warren was initially calm when arrested but then reacted aggressively towards police.
Paul Smith, defending, said it was Warren’s case that Mr Osborne was the aggressor and had pushed him.
Mr Osborne had followed him and Warren was in fear because of his own physical vulnerability in view of his health difficulties.
He put his hand in the car to grab at anything to protect himself and grabbed the knife which just happened to be there.
It had previously been used as a tool and he had forgotten it was there.