Khoresh Ameni (Image: South Wales Police)
Last Updated: 2 minutes ago
A 19-year-old who brandished a machete at a group of people outside a hotel in Cardiff city centre has been sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Khoresh Ameni armed himself with the weapon on December 7 last year and was involved in an incident outside the Ibis hotel on Churchill Way. Police were called to the scene and CCTV footage captured Ameni waving the machete at four people.
The arrest
Officers later detained the defendant and discovered he was carrying a cannabis joint. He was taken to Cardiff Bay police station for questioning but gave “no comment” responses throughout his interview.
Ameni, of Churchill Way, Cardiff, subsequently pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article and possession of a class B drug.
Previous offending
A sentencing hearing at Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court on Thursday heard Ameni has a previous conviction for offences including section 18 wounding and possession of a bladed article. Prosecutor Ben Jones told the court the defendant had been sentenced to a 20-month detention and training order, which he is now in breach of.
CCTV footage also revealed some of the other men involved in the incident were armed.
Mitigation
Defence barrister Kevin Seal told the court his client had been unable to work due to his immigration status and had become alienated from his family. The court heard Ameni is hoping to relocate to the Midlands to stay with an uncle.
Mr Seal said Ameni had suffered trauma during his childhood which left him struggling to cope with daily life and resorting to violence when faced with conflict.
Sentencing ⚖️
Recorder Paul Lewis KC said: “The way you’re going, you are going to face longer and longer and longer periods of custody.
“Your behaviour at the moment poses a risk of violence in the future. It’s in your hands if you continue down that path or not.”
Ameni was sentenced to 12 months imprisonment.
