A man who brandished a bottle at a passer-by in a Carlisle street after heckling his victim’s partner has been ordered to carry out unpaid work.
City magistrates heard Rory Dixon was walking with his girlfriend in the area of St Nicholas Bridges at around 7.30pm on August 12 when they ran into Edward Rodriguez, 39.
Rodriguez began to heckle the woman, also calling her pretty before saying to her partner: “You better treat her right.”
After the man told Rodriguez leave, the latter pulled out a wine bottle.
In a statement, the woman later told how Rodriguez came at her partner, claiming to be a karate black belt before raising the bottle above his head and walking towards the man. She tried to intervene and had stated: “I did think if I hadn’t have done this, he would have been hurt.”
The court heard Rodriguez then told the woman: “Out of respect to you I will go. If you weren’t here, he would be dead.”
At that point, Rodriguez walked off towards the city centre.
Rodriguez, of Dobbs Road, Port Glasgow, near Greenock, pleaded not guilty to charges of common assault and, on or about September 15, failing to surrender to custody at the magistrates’ court. He did not attend his trial and was convicted in absence.
After reading what they called a “comprehensive” probation service background report dealing with complex issues faced by the defendant, magistrates imposed 120 hours’ unpaid work plus £734 costs. They noted there was no physical harm caused to the victim.
Rodriguez told magistrates as the hearing concluded he had previously apologised for not attending his trial.
