The judge said ‘it must have been a terrifying thing for the people to go through’
Truro Crown Court(Image: BPM MEDIA)
A baby shower event was ruined when an angry young man turned violent.
Harvey Rouen attended what should have been a happy event with his girlfriend in a pub in Bodmin on August 30 last year.
During the afternoon, as he was ‘play-fighting’ with one of the women present, his behaviour changed abruptly and he became aggressive and violent.
A sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court on Friday (June 5) heard how Rouen, 22, from North Road in Saltash, shouted at one of the women and punched and kicked her during the incident in Fore Street.
He then followed two of the women to another bar in town and continued to be aggressive and violent. A video taken by one of the people present which was played in court showed Rouen kicking one of the women in the stomach and as he tried to get into the bar he punched one of the women in the entrance a number of times.
To make matters worse, when the woman’s dad arrived and tried to calm things down, Rouen pulled a knife out of his pocket and threatened him with it.
Rouen was later arrested and charged with one count of affray and another of possession of a knife in a public place. He pleaded guilty to both charges when he appeared at magistrates’ court at the first opportunity.
In a victim impact statement read out in court, the woman who was hit by Rouen said the incident had left her shocked and scared that Rouen would stab her dad. She said it had left her feeling “on edge” all the time.
In mitigation for Rouen, Harriet Summerhayes said he has no previous convictions and fully accepts “the unpleasant nature of his offending and how terrifying it would have been for people that day”.
She said Rouen is a young man who offers a real prospect of rehabilitation adding that last summer’s incident had been out of character for him.
“It has been a very difficult experience for him and he doesn’t want to find himself in this position again,” Ms Summerhayes said.
“His childhood was filled with things no-one should have to experience and this has had an impact on his behaviour.”
Ms Summerhayes said Rouen has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) but he has a job and stable accommodation and is looking to establish his own business as a landscaper.
“Prison would unsettle his life,” she added. “He would lose his job, his accommodation. He wishes he could go back in time and change what happened.”
His Honour Recorder Charles Murray said Rouen’s actions that day had ruined the day for everyone and what should have been remembered as a happy event would not be remembered for what he did.
“It was ruined by you,” he told Rouen. “It must have been a terrifying thing for the people to go through. There were other people in the street too. You were very angry on that occasion which you shouldn’t have been.
“There were plenty of opportunities for you to remove yourself from the scene. But you didn’t and it escalated.”
Recorder Murray sentenced Rouen to 12 months in prison suspended for 18 months as well as 10 rehabilitation days, some mental health requirement activities and 100 hours of unpaid work.
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