Preston man waved axe handle at resident in street before calling him a racist term

Patrick Doran, 24, of St Thomas Street, Preston, was seen by his victim shouting in the street at 4.45pm on February 1, Preston Crown Court heard.

Prosecuting, Holly Nelson said the man had left his home to do some shopping.

She added: " He heard shouting and screaming behind him. He turned around to look who was shouting.

"The defendant saw him and started moving towards him with the pickaxe handle in his hand."

Doran then referred to him in a racist term.

The man was scared and believed he was going to be struck, and dropped his belongings in the street to run away from Doran.

In a victim impact statement the victim described feeling frightened as Doran lives near him, and said he was "scared" he would come to his home.

In a separate incident Doran and his friend were involved in an incident involving a group of students, in which he threatened them with a knife tucked into his waistband.

He admits racially aggravated common assault and two counts of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

His defence lawyer said the father-to-be had a long standing problem with alcohol and that his doctor had warned him he could kill himself if he carried on drinking.

He told the court Doran had started drinking heavily after his cousin was murdered and two other cousins were killed in a car accident - both a few months before the incident.

She said: " You being drunk is not an excuse, in fact it's an aggravating feature.

"Inevitably when you're as drunk as you were you are wholly unpredictable and likely to do something dangerous and stupid.

"You're becoming a real problem and you're only 24."

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