A 63-YEAR-OLD man, who believed he had been conned out of £1,000 by a homeless woman, turned up at a Chester hotel with a knife.

Chester Crown Court heard on Tuesday, December 8 that John Webster, of Lumley Road, Chester, had sent text messages saying he was "going out now to kill Samantha Hall" prior to arriving at the Quarterz Hotel on City Road at 1.20am on October 17, where he believed Ms Hall was staying that night.

Webster arrived at the front door and a receptionist answered, to which Webster asked for Ms Hall and said: "Tell her I have got a present for her", pulling out a black-handled kitchen knife.

The receptionist shut the door and called police.

Webster, who pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to possessing a knife in public, was jailed for 10 months.

Prosecuting, Ryan Rothwell said police searched Webster's home and discovered "creative writing" including "copyrighted" poetry that was derogatory of Ms Hall.

There was also a computer typed note written in a red typeface looking like blood was dripping from it.

The note said: "Don't mess with me Samantha Hall", before a number of insults, adding: "A short film written, produced and directed" by the defendant.

When interviewed, Webster said he had met Ms Hall several weeks before, when she was begging, and took pity on her, spending money on food, clothes and other items to help her.

He said he had spent about £1,000 on her before he concluded she had "been taking him for a ride".

On the day of the offence, Webster, an alcoholic, was "about eight or nine out of 10" on the drunkenness scale.

The court heard Webster was a man of previous good character.

Defending, Philip Clemo said while the offence was serious, no-one had come to serious harm or alarm, with the hotel receptionist acting "commendably calm" and calling the police.

Webster had been a "very successful man" with a good career in finance in the city, before he turned to alcohol and his life "spiralled out of control".

The incident appeared to have been motivated by Ms Hall taking something of "deep sentimental value" which belonged to Webster.

His act was "in no way subtle" and it came as "a relief" to him when police were called and he was arrested.

The 50 days he had spent in custody had given him time to come off alcohol and he looked "remarkably better", despite custody being very difficult for him.

Judge Simon Berkson told Webster: "You have had an interesting life away from crime, but sadly it's obvious to me that alcohol has had a significant bad effect on you.

"There are documents prepared by you at your address to get to the Quarterz Hotel, documents suggesting you were going to kill Samantha Hall.

"You were showing the knife to a member of staff at the hotel, explaining what you were going to do with it.

"She was very, very brave – your defence said she acted commendably calm – and called the police, and you admitted your crime."

As well as the 10-month prison sentence, the kitchen knife was to be forfeited and destroyed.

Webster was also made the subject of a 10-year restraining order preventing any sort of contact with Ms Hall.