No jail for man who stabbed peacemaker outside Wolverhampton nightclub

Ian Hucklesby downed lager and spirits before getting involved in a dispute with another man on the dancefloor of The Planet nightspot in Westbury Street, Wolverhampton, the city’s crown court heard.

Alex Russell, a friend of the other man involved in the row, managed to pacify his pal when they got outside, explained Miss Samantha Powis, prosecuting, who continued: “Everything seemed to be smoothed over but the defendant continued to act aggressively, so Mr Russell tried to calm things down further by talking to him.”

During the conversation, Hucklesby said he wanted to stab the friend of Mr Russell, who replied: ‘You will have to come through me first,’ the court was told.

Hucklesby crossed to the other side of the road and when Mr Russell followed him a short time later he was stabbed in the arm with a broken bottle found lying in the street by the defendant.

The 26-year-old attacker was arrested by police in nearby Broad Street and the victim was taken to hospital for treatment to the wound that needed five stitches.

Mr Russell later told police the injury healed well and the incident had not stopped him continuing to enjoy nights out.

Mr Michael Anning, defending, said Hucklesby was ‘extremely drunk’ and remembered little of the incident but offered his ‘sincere apology’ to the injured man whom had not known before the incident.

The lawyer added: “The tempers and body language of the defendant and Mr Russell seemed very calm while they talked.”

The pal of Mr Russell had just left the scene in a taxi when he crossed the road to where Hucklesby, from Fifth Avenue, Low Hill and of previous good character, was standing. The attack came soon afterwards while the pair were out of the range of CCTV cameras.

The defendant, a forklift truck driver with a young child, admitted wounding and was given a 15-month jail sentence suspended for two years with 150 hours unpaid work. He was also ordered to pay £1,500 compensation to Mr Russell.

Recorder Adrian Reynold told him: "What you did that night is almost inexplicable after watching the events that led up to it on CCTV footage.

"Mr Russell behaved with conspicuous public spirit when he calmed his friend down and then tried to calm you down.

"Both of you went out of your way not to appear aggressive to the other which makes it even more difficult to understand what happened next.

"He came towards you but there was no rational reason for you to think he represented any threat. The only way you could have perceived this was through the prism of alcohol.

"At some stage you lunged at him with a potentially lethal weapon causing an unpleasant injury.

"It was outrageous behaviour and you have escaped immediate imprisonment by the skin of your teeth."

Mr Russell, a 23-year-old barman from Coseley, said after the case: "The staff at the nightclub were really helpful.

"It was after closing time but they still took me back inside and gave me first aid whilst waiting for the paramedics.

"In the year since its happened they have been very supportive, asking how I was getting on.

"For the first few weeks after it happened I questioned whether I should go out at night, but I was determined not to let this hold me back and carried on with my life as normal."