Bognor Regis man threatened to stab brothers hours after leaving court

Darren Betsworth, 33, of Argyle Court, Bognor Regis, pleaded guilty at Crawley Magistrates Court on Friday January 31 to attempted theft of a motor vehicle and a public order offence - using threatening, abusive, insulting words, behaviour with intent to cause fear or provoke unlawful violence.

Prosecutor Gina Kent said: “He was seen to open [an] unlocked passenger door [of a car]. Sit in the passenger side.”

Betsworth was spotted by three brothers who confronted him during the incident on January 30, she added.

The prosecutor said: “He was taken out of the car - he then threatened to stab the brothers.

“He reached towards his waist pocket. The brothers grabbed his arms. He was detained by them until the police arrived.”

But Antony Bishop, defending Betsworth, said he accepted the case against him ‘in full’.

He added: “He could almost not explain why he did it because he just realises that he’s absolutely stupid to have done this again.

“The car door was unlocked he went in he didn’t know what he would find and things escalated.

“He had just come out of court and he was hoping there would be perhaps be something he could sell.”

“He says he clearly didn’t have a knife he wanted them to just leave him alone.

“With the three of them, they were able to detain him. He did calm down while waiting for police to arrive.”

Betsworth is a cocaine addict whose life has ‘completely unravelled’ in the last year, his defence said.

He added: “He tells me that he’s wanting to put behind him his cocaine habit.

“He doesn’t want to keep coming back to court. Otherwise he doesn’t see how he can get out of this mess.”

Betsworth’s relationship with a longstanding partner with whom he had two children had ended, the court heard.

Mr Bishop added: “He wasn’t able to work so he’s lost his job. He’s capable.He says he wants to try again.”

Betsworth was given a jail term of 26 weeks, suspended for 12 months - 16 weeks for the public order offence and ten weeks for the attempted theft.