A MAN from Widnes who pulled a meat cleaver out of his trousers during an argument outside a pub has been jailed.

Lewis Fox, of Dean Street, was charged with threatening someone with a bladed article in a public place and pleaded guilty to the offence.

The 22-year-old was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, September 13.

He was jailed for 18 months and ordered to pay a £149 victim surcharge.

Fox was out on licence following a previous prison sentence when he committed the offence outside The New Inn on Hale Road.

A group of men had been forced from the pub by its landlord on Monday, August 12 shortly after 8pm.

During the incident, Fox pulled a meat cleaver from his pants and then walked away from the scene.

A witness then saw the weapon being dumped underneath a van on Canterbury Road.

Officers seized the weapon and identified Fox as the offender after reviewing CCTV footage.

He was then arrested and although Fox initially refused to answer any questions whilst in custody CCTV footage shows him pulling out the meat clever and he admitted the offence.

Sergeant Michael Higgins, of Widnes Local Policing Unit (LPU), said: “I am delighted that Fox is now behind bars facing the consequences of his actions.

“Carrying around any weapon – let alone a meat cleaver – is completely unacceptable, never mind threatening people with them.

“I hope that the custodial sentence Fox has received deters others from committing similar offences and that this case helps to reassure members of the community that we are committed to doing all that we can to tackle knife crime in Widnes.”

Chief inspector Simon Parsonage, also of Widnes LPU, added: “This incident and the tragic death of landlord Christian Thornton outside a different Widnes pub the day before is understandably a real concern for residents and those who work in the licensing community.

“As the person responsible for policing in Widnes I want to reassure everyone who lives and works in the town that we are doing everything we can to tackle knife crime, working closely with other agencies and the local community to make Widnes a town where no-one feels that it is acceptable to carry a knife or any other weapon.

“My officers will ensure that anyone found to be carrying a weapon or committing a knife related offence in the town is brought to justice and faces the full consequences of their actions.

“But the police cannot beat knife crime without the help of the local community and we urge anyone with information about people who may be carrying knives to come forward and speak to us, or to pass this information onto Crimestoppers anonymously.”

To report any type of crime involving weapons call Cheshire Constabulary on 101, or 999 in an emergency.

Information can also be passed to the force online via https://www.cheshire.police.uk/contact/general-enquiries.

Anyone who knows someone that carries a weapon can report it to Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.