A man caught whacking a knife off a wooden board while dripping in blood was branded ‘borderline arrogant’ as he was locked up.

Craig Petty was spotted acting suspiciously near his home in the early hours of the morning and when police spoke to him, he told them he was in a ‘warzone’.

On closer inspection the officers spotted his hand was bleeding quite heavily after they ordered him to drop his knife while they had their Tasers pointed at him.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the 55-year-old was treated by the officers before being arrested for possession of the five-inch kitchen knife and taken to hospital.

Judge Jonathan Carroll branded Petty’s attitude as ‘arrogant’ when he locked him up for 29 weeks.

“You say that you had that to open your back gate, I find that highly unlikely. Why you had it, I don’t know but I have seen the photographs of the knife and that is the kind of knife that can cause very serious injury or death.

“You were drunk or under the influence of something while you were in possession of that knife. Being in the streets with such a knife whilst under the influence, is a highly dangerous state of affairs.

“While regrettably statists show the Cleveland area is almost at the top of the table for knife related crime, it is a serious local matter, it causes considerable harm and danger and you are part of the problem,” he said.

“I have read you pre-sentence report and it does not read well. Your general attitude rings clear and loud through that report, you regard it as trivial, you were dismissive and borderline arrogant in my view.”

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Elisha Marsay, prosecuting, said Petty was arrested at around 4.20am on November 8 last year when they spotted him with the knife.

She added: “After he was arrested, he made comments about being in a warzone and having been involved in a fight earlier that evening.”

Petty, of Marton Road, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article and failing to surrender to bail when he didn’t turn up for a court hearing.

Albany Kidd, mitigating, said: “In terms of the pre-sentence report, it is not the most promising. The probation service say they are willing to work with him but more importantly he says he is willing to work with them.”