Threats to stab door staff outside a bar have led to a second man being sentenced to prison.

Rimas Mickevicius armed himself with a kitchen knife during a drink-fuelled confrontation outside Bar Chocolate in Market Buildings, Maidstone, last year.

It happened during the early hours of January 5, last year, after the 29-year-old had been out drinking with a friend.

At about 3.45am the pair were removed from the bar and became abusive to staff.

They left, but then returned brandishing large knives which they motioned in the direction of the victims. To protect themselves, one of the victims threw a stool at them, which Mickevicius then hurled back into a crowd of people.

They briefly left again, but quickly returned and continued to threaten staff, whilst still armed with the knives.

Police arrived and the men tried to flee but were stopped and arrested. The weapons were found in a nearby bin.

'We remain committed to protecting our communities from knife crime and the harm and devastation it causes,' Chief Inspector Ray Quiller

Appearing before Maidstone Crown Court, Mickevicius, formerly of West Ham, London, pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening a person with a blade or sharply pointed article in a public place.

On Thursday, he was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment.

Meanwhile, Tomas Kozeniauskas, 34, of no fixed address, had previously pleaded guilty to the same offence and was sentenced in April last year, to 22 months’ imprisonment.

Maidstone Chief Inspector Ray Quiller said: "This latest sentence illustrates our absolute determination to ensure that those who carry knives on our streets are dealt with robustly.

"We remain committed to protecting our communities from knife crime and the harm and devastation it causes.

"Removing these weapons from our streets is an absolute priority and this includes taking a zero tolerance approach, where officers are proactively pursuing and prosecuting those offenders who think it acceptable to carry them."

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