A man who came out of his house with a machete tucked in his waistband to protect his home when rioting broke out during the summer landed himself in court.

Andrew Livingstone was arrested after he grabbed hold of a rioter outside his Middlesbrough home and handed over to the police who then spotted the blade in his trousers.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 53-year-old's home had been targeted by a group of youths and he came out to chase them away.

Livingstone, of Clifton Street, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty possession of a bladed article following the events of August 4 this year.

A car burning in Middlesbrough following riotingA car burning in Middlesbrough following rioting (Image: MICHAEL ROBINSON)

The judge heard the defendant had a previous conviction for carrying a knife.

Nicci Horton, mitigating, said her client’s case was considerably different to other people who had been arrested following the violent disorder as he was effectively a victim in the rioting.

She said: “Given what was going on in the town, given the defendant’s feeling of needing to protect his wife and his elderly neighbour.

“He armed himself inside the house but what he did do was go outside to apprehend somebody who was attacking his property.

“Had he not had that blade tucked in his waistband, apprehended the youth and handed him over to the police, there would have been no offence at all.

A riot broke out in Middlesbrough when protest turned violentA riot broke out in Middlesbrough when protest turned violent (Image: MICHAEL ROBINSON)

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“He has run out without thinking, in the context of what was going on at the time and his heightened emotional state, he sees people attacking his car.

“He effectively became a victim of it (the rioting) and managed to apprehend one of those involved and hand him over to the police.”

Judge Timothy Stead sentenced Livingstone to 16 weeks in custody meaning he will be released from custody almost immediately due to time spent on remand and on an electronically tagged curfew.

He added: “I think in the extraordinary circumstances that a man who went outside with a machete tucked down the back of his trousers did so in order to protect his property and not to be supportive of the serious disorder which was going on.”