AN armed teenager who tried to smash the window of a pizza takeaway with a machete in Chester city centre has been locked up.

Korben Bell, 18, of no fixed abode but who was staying at the Quarterz Hotel in City Road prior to his arrest, was caught on CCTV repeatedly using the 30cm machete to try and smash the window of the Upper Crust Pizzeria in Foregate Street in the early hours of Sunday, August 16.

His "terrifying" actions caused a pregnant woman who was inside the restaurant at the time to be physically sick with shock, while the restaurant owner took her staff into the kitchen for their safety before having a panic attack.

Appearing via videolink at Chester Crown Court from HMP Altcourse on Monday, September 21, Bell was sentenced to a total of three years and 10 months detention in a young offenders institution.

As well as admitting the affray, threatening behaviour with a weapon and criminal damage in the August incident, Bell had also pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to supply class A drugs in Liverpool last year.

Prosecuting, Jayne Morris told the court Bell was 17 years old at the time of the drugs offences, when police stopped him on September 2, 2019 by Belmont Road and Rocky Lane in Liverpool.

Bell ran off and dropped a bag which contained class A drugs, and was later detained and arrested.

In total, Bell had at least £1,000 of drugs in his possession, the majority for supply.

They were 47 wraps of crack cocaine, valued at £470; 49 wraps of diamorphine, valued at £510-£765; a separate £10 wrap of diamorphine and one £10 bag of cannabis.

For the affray, the court was shown CCTV taken at 12.35am on Sunday, August 16, which showed Bell in a dispute with a topless man.

The man ran into the Upper Crust Pizzeria and shut the door behind him.

Bell used the machete repeatedly on the window of the pizzeria.

An officer arrived on the scene and used his car to ram Bell, in an effort to disarm him.

Bell ran off and dropped the machete, and was later caught.

Bell had one previous conviction for possessing a knife in Caia Park, Wrexham in June 2019.

The owner of the Upper Crust Pizzeria, in a victim impact statement, said she had never seen anything so "scary" before.

The pregnant woman had alerted her to a man outside with "a sword" and she asked the woman if she was sure, before the man with no shirt on ran inside.

She said she started shouting at everybody to get inside the back of the restaurant, as she was scared the machete-wielding man would kill someone if he got inside.

The business owner said the pregnant woman was physically sick as a result of the shock.

She added: "I have no idea why an 18-year-old man would carry a machete or where he would have got it from."

Defending, Cheryl Mottram said Bell was fully aware he was expecting a significant custodial sentence.

Bell was "immature" not only by his age but in his actions in response to certain situations.

He had been in care since the age of 12 and had been in a number of care homes, and was at a hotel in Chester.

He hoped his guilty pleas would be shown as a sign of remorse.

Judge Patrick Thompson said the affray involving the machete was an "extremely ugly, unpleasant and terrifying" incident.

He added: "Chester is getting a reputation as really a 'no-go zone' at night during the weekend.

"Chester is renowned as being a historic, Roman, beautiful town during the day, but it has a very different atmosphere at night. It has become a place for people to engage in violence.

"When all the bars close at the same time, it seems to turn effectively into a big boxing ring.

"To see you hammering on that window is quite terrifying to watch on CCTV. The people inside there were terrified, the pregnant woman was physically sick afterwards."

Bell was sentenced to two years for the drug-dealing and 22 months for the affray and threatening with a weapon. The machete and drugs were to be forfeited and destroyed.

Following the sentencing, Detective Constable Peta Ticer, from Chester Local Policing Unit said: “Bell is clearly a violent individual and I welcome the sentence that has been handed to him. 

“His rampage took place on a busy Saturday night in the heart of Chester city centre, while there were lots of people stood nearby – many of whom would have been fearing for their lives. 

“Thankfully, despite Bell's clearly dangerous actions, nobody was injured during this attack, thanks to the work of the keen-eyed CCTV operator and the officers who put their lives at risk arresting him.” 

Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, David Keane said: “I would like to thank all of the officers involved in this case for helping to bring a dangerous individual to justice. 

“Carrying a knife doesn’t make you safer and the consequences can be devastating for all those involved. 

“Cheshire Constabulary is doing all it can to reduce the number of dangerous weapons on our streets, and to educate people about the dangers of knife crime, and I urge anyone with information about those who carry such weapons to come forward in confidence and report it to Cheshire Police or anonymously to Crimestoppers.”