Man who stabbed inflatable duck with scissors avoids jail

A 'tipsy' Birmingham reveller who punctured a nine-foot duck costume with a pair of nail scissors “after a few shots of tequila” has escaped being sent to prison. Miles Blakeney, of Ashley Close, Edgbaston, was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment, suspended for two years by District Judge Sham Quereshi. The 23-year-old was also banned from going to Broad Street for the next 12 months, ordered to pay £250 compensation, and put on four-month curfew.

The judge told the court that club promoter Lee Price, the person wearing the costume, would not have know if it was “some madman” going to stab him rather than the defendant, who thought he was playing a prank. He said that Blakeney probably had more to drink than he was prepared to admit. And he said that it was a serious offence to carry a sharp instrument in a public place. Mr Quereshi said he was making the curfew order so the defendant would not “go out and get tipsy any more”.



Blakeney had previously admitted causing criminal damaging to an inflatable duck costume and having the scissors in a public place. Karen Cockitt, prosecuting, said Mr Price had been wearing the orange and yellow costume to promote a Mukky Duck night at the Walkabout bar. She said he had been standing outside the bar on September 15 this year and during the course of the evening a number of people had had their photos taken with him. At around 9.30pm he became aware of someone behind him, turned around and saw the defendant with another man.

“One of them said ‘I am going to pop you.’ He then heard a bang and looked down and noticed that the defendant had a knife in his right hand and the blade was partially in the costume. He then stood away from the costume which then deflated for obvious reasons,” said Miss Cockitt. The defendant and his companion then walked slowly away in the direction of another bar. Miss Cockitt said Mr Price reported the incident to police saying that he was “shocked” that someone had stabbed his costume.