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A Tenterden man celebrated his wife’s birthday and their wedding anniversary by attacking a stranger with a samurai sword!
Dean Tolputt, who also goes by the surname Scrogie, was sitting at home in Silver Hill, St Michaels, while his partner was out drinking.
But when the 45-year-old began receiving text messages from a man at her party, he became more and more angry.
Canterbury Crown Court heard how the sozzled father-of-two armed himself with a samurai sword and a carving knife and went looking for the stranger.
Prosecutor Andrew Espley told how he then stabbed Daniel Minett in the back causing a one inch wound, which didn’t need hospital treatment.
Judge Simon James jailed him for four-and-half years after he admitted wounding with intent and three charges of possessing knives in a public place.
Piers Wauchope, defending, said Tolput became involved in an exchange of messages between him and Mr Minett, who he initially didn’t know, “which became more and more unpleasant.”
He added: “The defendant was invited to go out and confront Mr Minett. He didn’t intend to commit a crime but made a serious error by taking the knives with him.”
The court heard that after stabbing him in the back, Tolput was heard to say: “I’ve stabbed the ......”
Mr Wauchope said Tolputt accepted his had behaved in “a thoroughly disgraceful manner”.
Judge Simon James told him that this incident on February 21 this year happened “on your wife’s birthday and your wedding anniversary.”
He said Mrs Tolputt had “planned to spend the day celebrating, which involved drinking far too much.”
The judge added: “You, it seems, decided not to join her, but remain at home drinking and I have no doubt your judgement was clouded by the amount of alcohol you had consumed.”
He said Tolputt received a number of text messages “some of them crude and offensive” but that didn’t excuse picking up the samurai sword, a stanley knife and then using a carving knife to stab his victim.
“I have concluded that you are alcohol dependent and once under the influence are not able to control yourself and that’s a real concern.”