By James Simons-
A teenager ran like a pussy cat, despite having a machete in his hand as he was chased away from the property he had targeted to wreak harvoc.
brave father has been praised by a court for using a baseball bat to chase away machete wielding attackers from his home in Sukey Way in Bowthorpe just three days before Christmas last year while both carrying machetes.
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The father whose identity has been withheld for safety reasons, chased unruly teenager, Manny Smith, after the thug turned up at the house with a group of thugs in a bid to exact revenge on the boyfriend of one of the victim’s daughters who was staying there at the time.
One of the victim’s daughters woke her dad up from sleep after having seen two men outside trying to get in.
Mr Norris said the victim picked up a baseball bat before going to confront the men as they smashed through the door.
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He said: “He saw two males in the hallway both armed with machetes”.The court heard they swung their machetes towards the father, who was able to use his baseball bat to “drive the two from the property”.
Mr Norris said the victim, who kept his family behind him as he confronted the men, caught Smith “across the side of the head” before striking the second man on the arm.
They both left the property before driving away, but Smith, who had his face partially covered during the raid, was later arrested in St Mildred’s Road, Norwich.
Smith, of Alan Meale Way, Stalham, appeared at court to be sentenced having previously admitted aggravated burglary with intent on December 22 last year.
Smith had also attempted to film the incident on a mobile phone which was later found by police together with weapons.
Judge Stephen Holt said the victim had demonstrated “huge courage” to keep his family safe following the raid in the middle of the night as they slept.
He said one “could only imagine the horror that must have been struck in the whole family that night”.
Smith was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in a young offenders institution (YOI).
Mitigating for the tear away teenager, Rob Pollington said Smith was a very immature and foolish young man who makes very rash decisions and follows them through with his actions, adding that it had been in retribution for something the boyfriend of one of the daughters had done in making a spectacle of him on social media.
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