12 months in prison for man who threatened revenue inspector with a knife

A Birmingham man will be serving 12 months in prison after he threatened to stab a National Express West Midlands bus revenue inspector.

Gurinter Dhanjal, from Hawkshurt Road, Maypole, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (7 July) after he made the threat when the inspector was dealing with an incident on a bus in Smallbrook Queensway on 8 June.

Dhanjal approached the inspector, who was speaking to a member of the public, and threatened that he was going to ‘smash a hammer in his head’. He then took a 6’’ bladed knife out of a bag he was carrying before boarding a bus and, when challenged by the inspector, said ‘I’m going to stab you to death’.

Dhanjal left the bus and approached other members of National Express staff telling them that he was going to find out where the inspector lived and stab him.

Police arrived at this point and Dhanjal was arrested.

Dhanjal, who has 28 previous convictions for 68 offences, was sentenced to serve 12 months in prison after pleading guilty to threatening behaviour and possession of the knife. The court heard that the offences were aggravated as he was in breach of two existing community orders.

Judge, Recorder Mills, also imposed a Serious Violence Protection Order (SVPO) on Dhanjal. The order, which lasts for two years from his release from prison, means that Dhanjal will have to register his address with police and that police officers can search him at any time in a public place to ensure he is not carrying a weapon.

Mark Heffernan, UK Operations and Safety Director for National Express, said:

“As part of the Safer Travel Partnership National Express West Midlands works very closely with the Safer Travel policing team to tackle any form of crime and anti-social behaviour on the bus network.

“Hundreds of thousands of journeys are made safely on our buses every single day and we will not tolerate anybody who does not respect the right that everybody has to work and travel safely, without fear of assault or intimidation.

“We welcome this sentencing and we are grateful to the police for their quick work on this case. It sends a clear message that we continue to work closely together to prosecute offenders and make sure that they are brought to justice.”