AN ISLE of Wight teenager, caught with a craft knife in the middle of a road while in “emotional turmoil” following the death of his uncle and a friend, has been jailed.

UPDATE: An appeal to spare an Isle of Wight teenager from immediate custody has been successful.

Jayden Dewhurst, of Hunnyhill, Newport, appeared before Isle of Wight magistrates on Friday, May 17.

At a previous hearing in April, the 19-year-old admitted possession of a knife in a public place, in Newport, on March 18.

Prosecutor, Liz Miller, said police received a report of a male causing an issue in Newport, on Angelica Grove, at around 2pm.

She said the male – Dewhurst – was heavily in drink, out in the road, and in possession of a craft knife.

The court heard a police officer with a dog was the first to arrive at the scene and gave him clear instructions to drop the knife, and he did, dropping it on the ground.

Ms Miller said Dewhurst had blood on his arms.

If you have been affected by some of the issues in this article:

  • Samaritans: Call 116 123 (24 hour support and at samaritans.org)
  • Mind: 0300 123 3393 (9am to 6pm, Monday to Friday (except Bank Holidays) and at mind.org.uk)  
  • The Mix: 0808 808 4994 (2pm to 11pm, Monday to Sunday, for people under the age of 25, and at themix.org.uk

Michael McGoldrick, defending, said a pre-sentence report was available and it was a complicated sentencing exercise.

He said Dewhurst had a previous conviction for possession of an offensive weapon, which meant he was facing a minimum six-month jail term, unless in exceptional circumstances.

Mr McGoldrick argued the circumstances were exceptional, with his previous conviction being for possession of a monkey wrench when he was just 14 years old, during which time he had undiagnosed and untreated ADHD.

The court heard Dewhurst was in emotional turmoil at the time of the offence following the death of his uncle and the death of a friend.

Mr McGoldrick said Dewhurst had been struggling and in a state of distress, with underlying neurological issues.

He said the incident and the preceding seven days were a blank to Dewhurst, who may have been experiencing drug-induced psychosis, and did not even recognise the knife.

He said he was petrified by the prospect of going to jail, would struggle in a prison environment, could be managed in the community, and was ripe for rehabilitation.

Magistrates went outside their guidelines, concluding there were “some exceptional circumstances”, and handed Dewhurst a 15-week prison term.

Later that afternoon, Mr McGoldrick lodged an appeal, for his case to be reviewed in the higher court.

He made an application for his client to be granted bail, saying the prisons were unlikely to take him due to his age, and telling the bench all default prisons were full.

He said Dewhurst was an excellent candidate for bail.

Magistrates did not find there were exceptional circumstances and denied Dewhurst bail.