Truro crown court cornwall england Credit: Alamy
A MAN has been sentenced after he turned violent at a baby shower in a terrifying attack.
Harvey Rouen, 22, punched and kicked a woman before brandishing a knife at another’s dad when he came to collect her.
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The incident occurred at a baby shower Rouen attended with his girlfriend in Bodmin, Cornwall, last August.
He was later arrested and charged with one count of affray and another of possession of a knife in a public place.
Rouen pleaded guilty to both offences – at his sentencing hearing at Truro Crown Court on Friday, he was handed 12 months in prison suspended for 18 months.
The court heard how the young man’s behaviour changed abruptly during the afternoon of the baby shower.
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One moment he was “play-fighting” with one of the women at the party, the next he had turned aggressive and violent towards the other guests.
Recorder Charles Murray said the attacks “must have been terrifying” for those affected, reports Cornwall Live.
Rouen, from Saltash, shouted at one of the women, punching and kicking her during the escalating assault on Fore Street in Bodmin.
After that episode, he then followed two of the women to a different bar.
Footage played in court showed Rouen kicking one of the women in the stomach.
He also punched another several times as he tried to gain entry to the bar.
When the woman’s dad arrived and tried to calm him down, the lout produced a knife from a pocket and threatened him with it.
In a victim statement read out in court, this woman said the incident had left her feeling “on edge”.
She said she had been terrified that Rouen would stab her dad.
Recorder Murray added: “[The baby shower] was ruined by you.
“It must have been a terrifying thing for the people to go through.
“There were other people in the street too. You were very angry on that occasion which you shouldn’t have been.
“There were plenty of opportunities for you to remove yourself from the scene. But you didn’t and it escalated.”
Rouen’s defence barrister, Harriet Summerhayes, argued he had no previous convictions and said the attack was out of character.
Summerhayes said he understands “the unpleasant nature of his offending and how terrifying it would have been for people that day”.
She added: “It has been a very difficult experience for him and he doesn’t want to find himself in this position again.
“His childhood was filled with things no-one should have to experience and this has had an impact on his behaviour.”
Recorder Murray sentenced Rouen to 12 months in prison suspended for 18 months.
The 22-year-old was also ordered to complete 10 rehabilitation days, some mental health requirement activities and 100 hours of unpaid work.
