Farnborough man jailed after threatening group with machete
He was wearing a Halloween mask during the incident.
A masked man who threatened a group with a machete in Farnborough has been jailed for seven and a half years.
28-year-old Gregory Small of Cedar Road in Farnborough was found guilty of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and affray.
It follows an incident involving four other men in Queens Road in August last year, in which one of them received cuts to his abdomen and hand.
Small then suffered a fractured skull as the rest of the group intervened, their actions have been accepted as self-defence.
Salisbury Crown Court heard Small was in Queens Road, Farnborough on 27 August 2019, when he was seen to repeatedly swing a machete at one of a group of four males.
He was dressed bizarrely in a black Halloween 'Scream' type mask and black cape-style coat.
It is believed one of the males received cuts to his abdomen and hand and bruising to his forearm.
The other three then intervened and assaulted Small, knocking him to the ground.
During the altercation, it is believed another member of the group received lacerations to his arm.
The four men then left in a vehicle and when police attended, a search of Small's car revealed drugs.
Small was treated at hospital for a fracture of the skull, bruising and abrasions to his head, face, shoulder and thigh.
The actions of the four men against Small were accepted as self-defence and no further action will be taken against any of them.
Following a three-day trial Small was found guilty of attempted GBH and sentenced to seven and a half years behind bars. He was also found guilty of affray for which he was sentenced to a year.
He had earlier admitted threatening someone with a bladed article in a public place for which he was sentenced to a year and a half in prison.
During an earlier trial in March 2020, Small was found guilty of possessing cannabis with intent to supply, for which he was sentenced to four months in custody and was further sentenced to a month in prison for possession of cocaine.
All sentences will run concurrently so he will serve a total of seven and a half years.