Man 'wielded stolen meat cleaver' in Lymington High Street, court told

A MAN has appeared in court charged with stealing a meat cleaver from a Lymington restaurant and brandishing it in the High Street on Valentine’s Day.

Stephen Dempsey (45), of Lower Buckland Road in the town, did not enter pleas to the two accusations, allegedly committed last Friday.

He appeared in the dock at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Monday to answer the allegations.

Dempsey is accused of entering Koh Thai Tapas restaurant and taking the steel blade, worth £150.

He was also said to have taken the cleaver into a public place, the High Street, without good reason or lawful authority.

The Bench remanded Dempsey in custody and sent the case to the city’s crown court, where he will next appear on 20th March.