Thug brandished crossbow at Birmingham pub saying 'you know who I am' after dog row

Steven Ives, aged 44, from Kingstanding has a lengthy criminal record

A man brandished a crossbow at a group of people outside of pub after a bizarre incident with a dog. The victims had been enjoying a night at the Golden Hind in Kingstanding when an 'eastern European' man who had been talking to them suddenly left his French Bulldog with them, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

They caught up with him and told him to retrieve the dog, which he did, but a few minutes later Steven Ives appeared and said: "What the f*** you talking to one of my people for? You know who I am."

The 44-year-old then brandished a crossbow from a carrier bag and a brawl ensued. Ives, from Chingford Road in Kingstanding, admitted possession of an offensive weapon. He was sentenced to 15 months on Monday, September 23.

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The incident took place around 11.45pm on July 1 this year. Prosecutor Maninder Chaggar said the victims, who were two couples, were at the Golden Hind when an 'eastern European' man came over and made 'small talk' with them.

She said: "His English wasn't very good and they didn't necessarily understand what was being said. He seemed friendly and pleasant. Then suddenly without any indication the male left the dog, a little white French Bulldog, with them.

"They thought this was rather odd and chased after the eastern European male, caught up with him and asked him to take the dog. He came back took the dog and left."

Ms Chaggar continued: "They sat back down and continued their night. A few minutes later this defendant came over from a pizza shop and said: 'What the f*** you talking to one of my people for? You know who I am."

"A verbal altercation took place. The defendant walked away. Moments later he returned carrying a carrier bag. In that carrier bag was a crossbow.

"The crossbow was brandished. The defendant was tackled to the ground. There was an exchange of punches and police were called."

Ives fled the scene but was later arrested. The crossbow was not recovered but police did find two bolts. Ives had 44 convictions for 110 offences, many of which were theft-related, the court heard.

Andrew Jackson, defending, said the crossbow was one which could have been used by a teenager to shoot targets rather than something Swiss folk hero William Tell would have used. He told the court Ives had been working as a scrap dealer and would risk losing his rented accommodation with his partner if he received a lengthy prison sentence.

Recorder Jas Jandu dismissed the argument about the crossbow and concluded it was a 'highly dangerous weapon'. He told Ives: "You can't be brandishing weapons like this. I hope you make better choices in the future and find a way to stay on the straight and narrow when you do come out."