An Armagh man who threatened to stab his mother in the neck with a fork has been sentenced to five months in custody.
Slavi Ivanov, of Ogle Street, appeared before Armagh Magistrates’ Court, sitting at Newry Courthouse on Tuesday.
He appeared via videolink from Maghaberry, with the assistance of a Bulgarian interpreter.
The 28-year-old was charged with threats to kill, common assault and possession of an offensive weapon with intent to commit an indictable offence.
For the threat to kill charge, the defendant was asked if he wished to go for trial by jury, or be dealt with by the Magistrates’ Court. He replied, “this court.”
Guilty pleas were entered for all of the charges.
The court heard that on December 26 last year, police received a call from staff at Bluestone that a lady had presented herself to them following a domestic dispute between she and her son.
Police called to the address and spoke with the injured party, who said that her son had been verbally abusive to her on several occasions between December 24 and 26.
She claimed that on December 26, the defendant had threatened her with a fork, saying: “Do you see this fork? I will stab it into your neck.”
The injured party then fled the home address in “fear of imminent danger” and sought the assistance of staff at Bluestone due to her son’s ongoing mental health concerns.
The defendant was subsequently arrested and denied the allegations.
The court was told that an application for a restraining order against the defendant was sought.
In the defendant’s defence, a solicitor told the court that, despite the defendant’s guilty plea, they did not believe that the incident involving the fork amounted to a threat to kill.
He added that Ivanov, who was in custody on the matter, has a “fractious relationship” with his mother.
“His mother acknowledges her genuine fear, that’s not disputed, and that there are mental health difficulties,” the defence said.
District Judge Anne Marshall, taking account of the defendant’s guilty plea and his relevant record, concluded that the custody threshold had been passed.
District Judge Marshall imposed a five month period of immediate custody, alongside the £25 offender levy.
As the defendant had already served time on the charges, the sentence meant that he would be released.
A restraining order was also imposed for a period of two years.
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