Lifer who stabbed three at wrong party jailed for knife threat

A man serving a life sentence for stabbing three strangers at a New Year’s Eve party has been jailed again after threatening a woman with a carving knife outside a block of flats, a court has heard.

Michael Mathews was out of prison on licence when he swung the blade at the woman during an “argument or discussion” between a group of people at the Matthew Street flats in the Dyfatty area of Swansea on September 22 this year. The 56-year-old later tried to run away from police, discarding a large carving knife as he fled on foot.

Swansea Crown Court heard that in 2013 Mathews was given a life sentence with a minimum term of five years for stabbing three members of the same family after bursting into a New Year’s Eve party having seemingly gone to the wrong address. He served nine years of that sentence before being released back into the community on a life licence in May 2022.

Sian Cutter, prosecuting, told the court that CCTV operators alerted police to an incident involving an unknown male brandishing a knife at the Matthew Street flats. Officers went to the location but the knifeman had left. However, based on a description of the suspect, they were able to find him in nearby High Street.

The court heard Mathews ran off when he saw the officers approaching, discarding a “large carving knife” as he did so. The defendant was chased and caught as he tried to climb over a fence.

The prosecutor said when police reviewed CCTV footage from the flats they saw Mathews emerging from the block as part of a group of people he was talking to. The defendant was seen to produce a knife and raise it above his head before swinging it at a woman who moved out of the way of the weapon.

The court heard Mathews tucked the blade into the back of his trousers and the “argument or discussion” continued between the defendant and the members of the group before they all walked off together.

In his police interview Mathews answered “no comment” to all questions asked.

The court heard the woman who the defendant swung the knife at had not provided a statement to the police and did not support the prosecution.

Michael Mathews, of Hill Street, North Hill, Swansea, had previously pleaded guilty to threatening with a bladed article when he appeared in the dock via prison videolink for sentencing. He has 14 previous convictions for 57 offences including eight of violence.

Background: The 2013 stabbing

In 2013 the defendant was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of five years after stabbing three members of a family who were celebrating New Year’s Eve at a house in the Townhill area of Swansea.

On that occasion he had gone to the property armed with a knife and kicked open the garden gate. When members of the family went outside to see what was happening, the defendant stabbed three of them.

One victim sustained a stab wound so severe that his bowel and intestine protruded from it. The defendant, who did not know the family, was later heard to say: “Sorry, wrong house”.

Mathews was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of five years after pleading guilty to three counts of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Mitigation and sentencing

Alycia Carpanini, for Mathews, said the defendant had managed to stay out of trouble for more than three years following his release on licence and was “rebuilding his life” but at the time of the Matthew Street incident he was suffering with mental health difficulties.

She said her client realised he should not have had the knife on the day in question and said he wished to apologise to the complainant and to the court.

Judge Paul Hobson said there had obviously been a “falling out” among a group of people at the Matthew Street flats during which the defendant had swung a knife at a woman.

He said “perhaps surprisingly” the group had continued talking after the incident and he told the defendant that both he and the woman were fortunate the blade had not made contact.

The judge said Mathews has a “disturbing history of violence with a knife” and said the offence before the court was a “continuation” of that. With a one-third discount for his guilty plea Mathews was sentenced to two years in prison.

Judge Hobson said given the defendant is subject to a life licence it would be for the Parole Board to determine when he is safe to be released back into the community.