A cannabis user was caught carrying a Samurai sword for his own protection after he was attacked with a nail-studded cricket bat over his drug debt.

Paul Lyall was spotted walking the streets in the early hours of the morning by police looking for a suspect after someone was spotted tampering with a supermarket cash point.

Teesside Crown Court heard how officers recovered the mini-Samurai sword when they searched the 27-year-old in Hartlepool town centre.

Lyall, of Eastoft, North Lincolnshire, formally of Hartlepool, was ruled out of the supermarket cashpoint incident at the Asda supermarket but pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article following his arrest on January 3 this year.

Nicci Horton, mitigating, said her client armed himself with the weapon for his own protection after he was attacked by drug dealers six months earlier.

“He was attacked by a group of men he owed money to for cannabis,” she added. “They attacked him with a cricket bat, which had nails driven through it, and targeted his knees.

“He received medical treatment but didn’t report it to the police for the obvious reasons.”

Judge Richard Thomas KC sentenced Lyall to six months in custody following his guilty plea.

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He said: “You have been in quite a lot of trouble over the years and you received a prison sentence in North Lincolnshire before moving to Hartlepool following your release.

“You had a pretty chaotic time of it and you are somebody with mental health issues.

“One of the things that had become a problem for you was your association with drug users and suppliers and you ran into some violence.

“You say you got the Samurai sword as you were concerned about the violence that you had been subjected to but that’s no reason to get hold of a weapon like this.”