Ripon man jailed after attempting to stab Wetherspoon's worker with table knife and warning police that he was “going to kill somebody”

John Flannagan, 38, went berserk at The Unicorn pub in Ripon Market Place and when a brave bar stewardess tried to calm him down, he lunged at her with a knife, York Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor Kelly Clarke said the named bar worker had been trying to reason with Flannagan as he was causing trouble inside the bar, but he responded by picking up two pint glasses and smashing one of them on the bar.

“She stepped back and he picked up a knife and fork from a table in front of her,” added Ms Clarke.

“He turned back to face the bar and started shouting at staff and members of the public and walked along the bar and threw the pint glass, causing it to smash on top of the bar.”

Flannagan, knife in hand, then lunged at the bar worker and made a “haymaker-style” swipe at her with the blade, which mercifully missed.

“This was an attempt, say the prosecution, to stab (the named bar stewardess),” said Ms Clarke.

In the run-up to the terrifying incident, police received a call from Flannagan who said he was in Ripon town centre being followed in the street by “a man with a dog” and that he was scared.

After making the call, Flannagan went into the Wetherspoon’s bar at the Unicorn Hotel and began shouting at people inside the pub, telling them to “leave me alone”.

“Staff were concerned and contacted police,” said Ms Clarke.

Flannagan left the pub and tried to get in a taxi, but he was turned away by the driver due to his bizarre behaviour.

Having been rebuffed by the cabbie, Flannagan called police again.

“He could be heard shouting incoherently (during the call) and (there were) periods of silence,” said Ms Clarke.

Flannagan told the operator: “You need to come and get me. I’m already on bail and going to jail. If you don’t come and get me, I’m going to kill somebody.”

He then went back inside The Unicorn and pushed past a man at the bar who didn’t react and walked away.

The bar stewardess tried to reason with Flannagan, who responded by lunging at her with the knife and making a “haymaker” swipe which missed.

The terrifying incident was brought to an end by an off-duty police officer who ran to the bar and tackled Flannagan to the ground.

The officer, who was with his wife and family, restrained Flannagan until uniformed police arrived to arrest him.

Wetherspoon’s staff members said they were “extremely frightened that things would escalate” and feared that someone was going to be seriously injured “or worse”.

One staff member said it was the worst piece of violence they had ever seen at a pub.

Flannagan, of Gallows Hill, was charged with affray and threatening a person with a blade in a public place.

He admitted the offences which happened at about 10.15pm on June 17.

He appeared for sentence via video link on Tuesday after being remanded in custody.

Ms Clarke said Flannagan had 59 previous offences on his record including violence, public disorder and carrying offensive weapons, namely a knife and a metal bar.

At the time of the incident in Ripon, he was on an 18-month community imposed in December last year for battery.

Defence barrister Susannah Proctor said Flannagan had a psychotic disorder and was bipolar. His mental-health conditions had been exacerbated by drug and alcohol abuse.

She said that at the time of his latest offences he was “acutely unwell” but acknowledged the “anxiety and fear” he caused to members of the public.

Judge Stephen Ashurst told Flannagan his “bizarre and psychotic” behaviour could have resulted in tragedy inside the pub.

“You are someone with a long history of mental-health problems but your behaviour and your criminal offending appears to have become worse over the last five or six years,” he added.

“The brandishing of, and threatening with, weapons is something that calls for an immediate prison sentence.”

Flannagan was handed a 16-month jail sentence but will only spend half of that behind bars before being released on prison licence.