A MAN who, armed with a knife, threatened to stab another man in Goulburn has been sentenced to at least seven months in jail.
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David Widdows, 24, from Mary St, Goulburn, appeared in Goulburn Local Court by audiovisual link from Long Bay Jail on Wednesday.
Widdows pleaded guilty to being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence and committing an offence while having a previous conviction.
Police facts tendered to the court said that, on January 8, Widdows consumed an unknown quantity of alcohol, then called another man in the afternoon, asking him to fight.
"Come meet up and have a dig," Widdows said, the police facts reported. "I'm at the cemetery and this is where I'm gunna leave you."
Police facts said the other man told Widdows he was "not worth it", but later that day, at 6.15pm, Widdows again rang the man and asked him to fight.
At 6.57pm, the man received another call from Widdows. This time he put the call on speaker phone because he was by now in the presence of two police officers.
Widdows was heard to say: "Come down and we'll sort it out."
At 7.15pm, police were called to St Patrick's cemetery after receiving a two-way radio call that Widdows was heading there to stab someone and was in possession of a knife.
On arrival, police found Widdows sitting on a gravestone, drinking a can of Toohey's New.
He was directed to place himself on the ground. He dropped the knife. He was handcuffed and searched. Police found a knife with an 8.5cm blade on the ground nearby.
They arrested Widdows and took him to Goulburn Police Station, where he later participated in an interview and told police he had no recollection of making the phone calls.
In court, Widdow's solicitor, Sam Rowlands, said there had been no actual violence, only the threat of violence. "He can remember very little of the incident," Mr Rowlands said.
He said Widdows had been in custody since January 9, first in Goulburn Correctional Centre, and then in Long Bay Jail, and that this had been a "sobering experience for him".
"He has now realised the gravity of the situation he is in," Mr Rowlands said. "He has had an alcohol addiction since he was 13 and he now realises that he needs to address it."
Mr Rowland tendered a psychiatric report, a Justice Health Report and pre-sentencing report concerning his client.
Magistrate Carolyn Huntsman said it was time for Widdows to address his alcohol abuse problems. "You have to get it together and stop drinking," she said.
"It is ruining your life. The community needs protection from you and I need to give you a sentence that deters that behaviour."
Ms Huntsman sentenced him to 14 months' jail, with a non-parole period of seven months.