Man held knife to woman's throat in Ilfracombe

A DRUNK man held a kitchen knife to the throat of a woman in Ilfracombe, a court has heard.

Lee Paget, 32, says he remembers very little of the incident in which he also racially harassed a man.

At 12.40am on July 4 Paget, from Ilfracombe, began shouting outside Lewis Matthew's apartment and was asked by him to keep the noise down.

Paget, who lives in the High Street, carried on shouting and was asked again to be quiet, which is when he shouted racial insults at Mr Matthew.

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Ben Winzer, for the prosecution, said: "The defendant made threats and gestures to stab him and said that he would get away with it because of his mental health problems."

Then at 1am Paget's second victim, Kristi Goodman, who had just finished work at a nearby pub, was walking with a group of friends.

One of the friends ran out of an alley and collided with another and an ambulance had to be called to treat the injuries.

Paget then appeared from his flat in the High Street and said that he would call for an ambulance.

But he quickly became abusive and started speaking "oddly" about the Afghan war.

He then produced a black kitchen knife which he held to Miss Goodman's throat who "stood still and was petrified".

Mr Winzer said the blade did not touch her throat but was extremely close.

Paget then dropped the knife and returned to his flat.

Tony Dart, for the defence, said his client had just worked a 13-hour shift before going for a drink.

He said Paget has no recollection of the knife.

Paget pleaded guilty to racial harassment, possessing a knife in a public place and common assault. He will be sentenced at Exeter Crown Court on January 3.