Danny Williams was behind a spree of incidents in and around Crawley over the course of two months causing “a huge amount of distress” to people living there.
The 45-year-old will now spend the next three years in a cell after pleading guilty to all of his charges at Lewes Crown Court.
Williams, of no fixed address, faced two counts of threatening a person with a knife, intentional strangulation, common assault, theft of a motor vehicle, driving a vehicle without a licence and assault by beating.
His spate started on September 7, 2022, at around 1pm when he stole a Mercedes Sprinter van from a delivery driver in Brighton Road.
He was later identified on CCTV when exiting the vehicle.
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One month later, on October 7 at 11am, Williams strangled a 52-year-old man in an unprovoked attack in Broadfield Barton.
On October 15, Williams approached another man, aged 32, in Broadfield Barton at around 9pm and asked for money. When the man refused, he was threatened with a knife.
Two days later Williams went to a 45-year-old woman’s house shortly before 3pm and threatened her.
Police arrested Williams and worked to gather evidence in order to secure his conviction.
Chief Inspector Pauline Lane said: “Williams is a dangerous individual and has caused a huge amount of distress in the community and it is fantastic he has been put behind bars.
“Our teams have worked extremely hard to put the case file together and collate the evidence needed to put him before the courts. This shows our commitment to holding criminals to account for their actions.
“Residents of Crawley can be assured that another offender is off the streets and no longer poses any danger.”
Williams appeared before Lewes Crown Court on February 2, 2024, where he pleaded guilty to his charges.
He was sentenced to 44 months in prison after appearing at Lewes Crown Court on Friday, May 31.
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