Former Moto3 champion Danny Kent has been given a suspended jail term for carrying knife in public during an altercation.
The incident happened on March 7, 2019, when racer Kent and his brother were out collecting a debt, when a 63-year-old man was walking his dog near West Street car park in Tetbury.
Sensing an issue when the two men were running off the scene, the 63-year-old man nabbed Kent’s brother to the ground. As Kent came to the car park, he thought that the 63-year-old man was assaulting his brother.
He pushed the man to the ground to defend his brother as they then left the scene. It is then when the man saw a 6in blade kitchen knife fell out of Kent’s pocket which he picked it up and ran away.
He reported the incident to the police. The judgement was made on August 15 at Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court, where Kent pleaded guilty and was handed a four-month jail sentence suspended for 12 months.
He was also ordered to pay £115 towards the victim surcharge and £85 costs. As per BBC, prosecutor Peter Ashbly said: “One of the men, the defendant’s brother, confronted the 63-year-old and there was a scuffle and the older man took the young man to the ground.
“He pinned him down and then the other man, the defendant, came over and pushed the older man off. The witness then saw a knife on the ground. He picked it up and went home and then informed the police.”
At the same time, Kent’s lawyer Howard Ogden added: “My client came across his brother on the floor with the older man pinning him down so he thought his brother was a victim of an assault and pushed him off.
“Yes, he had the knife in his pocket but it was not for any improper purpose – he uses it to open boxes in connection with his work.” Meanwhile, Kent was only quoted as, ‘I would like to apologise to the court’.
Kent won the Moto3 title in 2015 and graduated to Moto2 but his career suffered as he did not have a full ride in 2017 or 2018. Even in 2019, it is the same as he only raced for two rounds in the British Superbike series.
He lost that seat as well with Bike Devil Sweda MV Agusta confirming the new on social media: “As of immediate affect the team has parted ways with Danny due to a recent conviction.”