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Bully brandished knife and racially abused Folkestone neighbours in terrifying ordeal

A knife-wielding bully who threatened to stab his neighbours while unleashing a tirade of racist abuse has been jailed.

Liam Thomas’ victims were forced to barricade themselves inside their Folkestone home as he repeatedly stabbed at the window.

Liam Thomas
Liam Thomas

The 28-year-old, of the same town, was jailed at Canterbury Crown Court for 16 months, for the “traumatic”and unprovoked assault in November.

“I’m not usually like that,” Thomas told his victims, speaking from HMP Elmley by video link.

His words came after the couple described their home as a “place of fear” after being targeted “because of the colour of my skin.”

Intoxicated Thomas and another had been drinking alcohol when he approached his neighbour in the street.

The thug became irate while quizzing his victim as to whether he owned a nearby white Mercedes.

“They made comments towards the man such as I’m going to cut you,” prosecutor Rosheen Iyer said.

When the victim escaped inside his home Thomas “began to hit the window with a kitchen knife,” Ms Iyer continued.

He was heard shouting “I’m going to stab you, I’m going to cut you,” she said.

Thomas broke through the main entrance and began hitting their front with such force they believed “the door was going to fall off.”

After barricading themselves inside, Thomas struck the window with the kitchen knife, made racist remarks and repeated “I will stab you,” the court heard.

Thomas was arrested shortly after 1am and told officers during an interview he had no recollection of the attack.

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“That night we feared for our lives, the individual has invaded my home which is my place of safety.

“My home has now become a place of fear,” one victim told the court.

Another victim said she was targetted during the 10-minute invasion “because of the colour of my skin.”

“I should not have to live in fear because of this, I now want to move away from this address,” she added.

The Judge, Recorder Angus Withington QC labelled Thomas’ actions “distressing and deplorable.”

“One victim was threatened by you, threatening to cut him and slash him.

“You then continued that effective attack on him and his wife by approaching their home, threatening her through the window of their property, threatening you were going to stab and cut him and using entirely deplorable language towards her,” he continued.

Natasha Spreadborough, mitigating, said: “He was horrified to hear of his actions and he remains physically sick when he heard the prosecution’s case against him.”

She added Thomas had no recollection of the events and he believed vodka mixed with drugs he is prescribed for a personality disorder were the catalyst.

Thomas, of St Michael’s Street, told the court: “I’m not usually like that, I’m honestly sorry, I don’t want the victims to be scared or anything like that.”

He pleaded guilty at an early opportunity to using threatening words intended to cause distress, using racially aggravated words intended to cause distress, possession of a knife and causing criminal damage worth £350.

Thomas will also be subject of a two-year restraining order and time spent on remand will be deducted from his sentence.

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