Meat cleaver waver was depressed about his marriage

A meat cleaver wielding homophobe who called two strangers ‘batty boys’ will walk free after spending seven months in jail.

Derek Bryan, 54, threatened the two men, with only one identified as being ‘Mr Halsey,’ on Upper Tulse Hill Road, Tulse Hill, southwest London on 9 August last year.

While under the influence of drink and drugs he approached them and made the homophobic slur, Inner London Crown Court heard.

When the men threatened to ‘out him’ he dropped his holdall bag and produced a meat cleaver, declaring ‘watch this’.

James Murray-Smith, prosecuting, said: ‘Two men were waiting at that bus op he called them ‘batty boy,’ a well known term for a gay person.

‘One said: ‘I’m going to out you.’

‘Mr Bryan thought he meant he was going to kill him.

‘He dropped his holdall and pulled out the meat cleaver, after that he said ‘watch this’

‘A bus turned up and Mr Bryan tapped on the window, got in and departed.’

Caroline Downs, defending, said: ‘He’s been in custody for seven months, since his early guilty plea at magistrates’ court

‘The circumstances culminate from a number of stress factors as read from the psychological report.

‘In essence the issues start from a breakdown of his marriage and a realisation of a substantial debt.

‘He actually undertook some assessments on him and realises that he’s innumerate.

‘Due to Covid he couldn’t care for his elderly mother.

‘He attended his GP, was prescribed medication, he didn’t like the side effects and didn’t go back to the GP to further that.

‘He turned increasingly to drink and drugs.’

Handing Bryan a suspended sentence with an alcohol treatment requirement, Judge Nigel Peters said: Mr Bryan I’m not going to lecture you, you’re old enough to know the circumstances.

‘This country has a zero tolerance, and rightly so, of people who carry knives.

‘If you carry one and threaten somebody you’re in custody, it’s very simple.

‘If you appear in court again the judge is going to say he hasn’t learned his lesson, he’s a serious threat to society.

‘If you fail to attend these alcohol treatment courses you’re going to be brought to court.

‘The threat of sexual identity doesn’t change the matter because you’re in the higher level of the guidelines already.

‘They never recovered the knife.

‘He has in fact served the minimum term already by his time in custody, I have taken the view that this man needs alcohol treatment.’

Bryan, of Homesdale Road, Bromley, south London, admitted two counts of threatening a person with a blade in public and was sentenced to 16 months, suspended for two years, with an alcohol treatment requirement requir