AN intoxicated man has appeared in court after threatening a person with a weapon in public.

David Warren was in possession of the hammer in a residential street when he acted in a threatening manner.

The 40-year-old was spared jail when he was sentenced at Warrington Magistrates’ Court on a charge of threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place, with the defendant having changed his plea to guilty on the day of his trial.

But he will appear back before the court next month to be sentenced on a separate charge of dazzling a police helicopter pilot with a laser beam.

Prosecutor Lynn Sayers told the court that the hammer offence occurred on December 10 last year on Eagle Mount – Warren’s home street – in Wilderspool.

The defendant unlawfully and intentionally threatened another man with the weapon, in such a way that they would think that there was an immediate risk of physical harm.

Magistrates remarked that the severity of the offence merited a custodial term, adding that it was committed while in drink.

However, they stepped back from making it an immediate one due to a determination that the defendant was a ‘realistic prospect for rehabilitation’.

Warren was sentenced to 23 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months, with magistrates approving an order for the forfeiture and destruction of the hammer.

He was also ordered to pay costs to the Crown Prosecution Service of £575 and a statutory victim surcharge of £154, with an application granted for the funds to be deducted from his benefits.

As previously reported, Warren will be sentenced at the same court on September 26 after admitting a charge of shining or directing a laser beam towards an aircraft.

Residents in south Warrington reported hearing and seeing the force helicopter overhead in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Cheshire Police confirmed that it was scrambled to assist in the search of a man after concerns were raised for his welfare.

Thankfully, the man was located, however, the helicopter pilot was dazzled by a laser beam during the search.