A couple who chased a man they had ‘issues’ with while armed with a hammer and a wheel brace have been sentenced.

Spencer Lesurf, 23 and his girlfriend Sherry Smith, both of Westleigh Lane in Leigh, Greater Manchester, spotted the man in Littleport on the afternoon of March 2 this year.

The victim was standing with his friends close to the Harley Davidson Memorial at 2pm when Lesurf and Smith, 22, arrived in Lesurf’s silver BMW 5 series.

The pair approached the man, Lesurf armed with the hammer and Smith the silver wheel brace.

They began shouting threats and abuse while brandishing the weapons – causing the man to run inside the nearby Co-op store in Main Street.

Lesurf and Smith followed the man inside the shop where they continued making threats while holding the weapons.

The victim called the police while still inside the store and Lesurf and Smith were asked to leave by staff.

When police arrived, the victim saw Lesurf and Smith drive past and notified the officers.

The pair were later arrested, and in police interview three days later, both admitted the offences but claimed the incident arose after ‘ongoing issues’ with the victim.

Lesurf told officers he was driving in Littleport with Smith in his car when they saw the man, and that approaching him was a ‘spur of the moment’ thing because they were both angry at him.

Both admitted discarding the weapons afterwards and agreed the incident took place in the middle of the day, with neither of them showing any thought for the members of the public around them.

Lesurf and Smith both admitted threatening the victim with the weapons and shouting abuse at him.

In a previous hearing at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court, both defendants pleaded guilty to affray and threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place.

Their case was committed to Cambridge Crown Court for sentence yesterday (April 16) where Lesurf was sentenced to four months in prison, suspended for 12 months.

He was also ordered to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and handed a 20-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

Smith was handed three months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to complete an 18-day rehabilitation activity requirement.

She was also made the subject of a curfew, between the hours of 8pm and 6am, for a period of two months.

PC Guy Spencer, who investigated the case with PC Sam Johnson, said: “Although Lesurf and Smith didn’t use their weapons, they caused a great deal of distress to those around them by brandishing them during a heated situation – and in broad daylight.

“We see frequent reminders that carrying weapons can have tragic consequences. Thankfully, in this instance the hammer and wheel brace were not used and nobody was physically harmed.”

Know someone who carries a weapon? Please help us tackle serious street based violence and report it to us by calling 101 or visiting www.cambs.police.uk/report.

Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.