THE MOTHER of a man jailed for six years after he was caught carrying a concealed 3ft-long axe in crowds waiting to see the Queen in Huddersfield says he is to appeal.

And in an exclusive interview with the Examiner, Judith Bleazard said vital character references were not presented to court because she wasn’t told her son’s hearing date had been brought forward.

She said because the date was switched at very short notice to last Tuesday the judge never had chance to see them.

She added: “Friends and even strangers have contacted us to say the sentence is so wrong and way over the top. It is a diabolical sentence.’’

Father-of-three Bleazard, 34, was living at home with parents, Judith and Keith, at their end terraced home on Adelphi Road in Marsh at the time of his arrest last May.

He has an eight-year-old daughter and two sons aged six and four from a previous relationship.

Mrs Bleazard, 64, claims the sentence was only so tough because the Queen was near. His time in custody would have been less if it had been anyone else, she claimed.

She insists her son did not know the Queen was visiting Huddersfield that day and became interested in seeing her only when he came across the crowds in St George’s Square and wanted to take a photograph on his camera phone.

She said his partner has a wood-burning fire and the chainsaw usually used to chop the wood had broken so he borrowed the axe from a friend and was carrying it back home through town when he was arrested.

But she accepts her son has a police record and since 2003 has been convicted of several offences.

“Admittedly Daniel has done some stupid things in the past,’’ she said. “But this sentence for not actually doing any harm to anyone is a true miscarriage of justice. He is going to appeal and we will take this all the way to the European Court if we have to.”

“He is in Leeds Prison,’’ she said. “He was absolutely devastated at the sentence, especially as we were not there, but he is coping. This is his first time in custody. He was hoping to get probation and community service.’’

Bleazard was handed the jail term after the judge, His Honour Judge Jonathan Durham Hall, told him he was a “deeply disturbed man”.

He was found guilty by a jury at Bradford Crown Court in December of carrying the axe on May 24 last year.

He was also found guilty of breaching an antisocial behaviour order and possession of a knife during another incident.

The judge told him: “In my judgement, you sought to get as close to Her Majesty as was humanly possible. You are a deeply disturbed and aggressive man.

“You wanted to see how close you could get before you provoked a reaction from the armed police.”

Bleazard was arrested minutes before the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived for their official visit to Huddersfield.

He was sentenced to three years for possession of the axe, 18 months for breaching his antisocial behaviour order and 18 months for possession of a knife in the other incident.

This happened on June 14 last year when police stopped Bleazard in the early hours of the morning on Reinwood Road near his home between Lindley and Quarmby carrying a Stanley knife.

BLEAZARD has several convictions over the last five years.

June 2003: Breach of community rehabilitation order. Fined £25 and order to continue.

October 2003: Criminal damage. Ordered to pay £100 compensation and £40 costs.

November 2003: Breach of community rehabilitation order. Community rehabilitation order for 12 months.

March 2004: Harassment. Conditional discharge for 12 months.

November 2004: Driving without insurance. Six-month driving ban and fined £90 with £40 costs (6pts).

December 2004: Theft. Twenty-eight-day curfew order and 150-hour community punishment order with £40 costs.