Norwich man jailed over machete attack on his own sister

Marcus Callaby had drunk beer and taken cocaine when he bumped into his sister and her two children on Bowers Avenue, in the Mile Cross area of Norwich.

At the time he was wearing a balaclava to hide his identity as he was on bail for dishonesty offences. He also had a machete and a screwdriver with a sharpened point.

Norwich Crown Court heard Callaby tried to embrace one of the children, but the mother told him to "leave my son alone".

Norwich Crown Court (Image: Peter Walsh, Newsquest)Ravi Dogra, prosecuting, said Callaby became angry and took the machete from his waistband and swung it towards his sister.

She told police if he had not stepped back "the machete would've struck her in the face".

Callaby then tried to embrace the other child but again he was told to leave her alone by his sister prompting him to punch her in the face, sending her to the ground.

Marcus Callaby (Image: Norfolk Police)The 30-year-old, from Wheeler Road, Norwich, appeared at court for sentence last week having admitted threatening another with a bladed article, possession of a bladed article and assault occasioning actual bodily harm on August 10 this year.

Jailing Callaby for 29 months, Recorder Peter Guest said the defendant had "attacked your sister beating her to the ground just after you had swung a machete at her face".

Cathy McCulloch, mitigating for Callaby, said he was "absolutely disgusted with what he had done to his sister and his family".

She said Callaby had been drinking and taking drugs at the time of the incident but was now "completely clean".

She said he knows it was "unacceptable" and just wanted to "say sorry from the bottom of my heart" adding "I just hope she can forgive me".