The alarming moment two teenagers brandished huge machetes during a fight outside an art gallery was caught on camera.
Jordan Bazuna, 19, and 18-year-old Jack Bolton have been locked up for affray and making threats with a blade in a public place. CCTV was played to a court, after which judge Recorder David Bedenham said it must have been a "petrifying and shocking" scene for anyone to witness in Nottingham city centre.
A number of youths were seen wielding knives during the violent disorder outside Nottingham Contemporary, an art gallery, and an investigation was immediately launched. No one was hurt.
Both Bazuna and Bolton were identified by detectives on CCTV footage waving machetes around and threatening each other amid the fracas on Wednesday January 31. They were both sentenced yesterday at Nottingham Crown Court after both admitting affray and making threats with a blade in a public place at a previous hearing.
Bazuna, of New Basford, Nottingham, was sent to a youth offender institution for 16 months. Bolton, from Colwick Park, Nottingham, was put behind bars for 18 months. Recorder Bedenham told the teens their behaviour could have led to further serious disorder.
Two New York cops stabbed during celebrations in Times SquareThey were locked up on the same day a crazed knifeman attacked a man on a train in southeast London. The brazen stabbing happened in front of terrified passengers.
Speaking after Bazuna and Bolton were sentenced, Nottinghamshire Police branded the disorder "appalling". Detective Inspector Chris Berryman said: "This was an appalling incident, in the middle of the day, outside a busy city centre venue.
"Officers and members of the public will share a sense of revulsion to see knives being wielded in such a reckless fashion on our streets. Thankfully, no one was injured, but that is no thanks to Bazuna and Bolton who were identified as waving knives around and threatening each other during the altercation.
“I hope the police response – which included public appeals, many hours of painstaking detective work and rapid arrests and charges – provides some comfort to anyone who witnessed it. I also hope the wider public are reassured by the sentences handed down in court.
“As a force we have always been very clear, we will not tolerate this sort of behaviour and any report of knives being brandished like this will always be met with a robust response.
"We need people to understand that carrying a knife does not protect you and can have devastating consequences for individuals and their families. The force’s work to educate young people about the risks and consequences of knife crime continues through education sessions in schools or colleges, engagement work in the community and proactive policing."