POLICE used CS gas to subdue a man who had armed himself with a pair of knives and terrified his family, a court heard yesterday.

Waheed Omran-Baber, prosecuting, told Harrogate magistrates that the incident started when two officers called at the home of Stephen Derek Gibb, 46, in Beech Road, Ripon, on November 1.

He greeted them with a torrent of abuse and was holding two kitchen knives, each with six-inch blades, which he refused to give up.

Mr Omran-Baber said Gibb's frightened wife and children were in the house.

Gibb told the officers that he would use the knives to aid his escape from the premises so he was sprayed with CS gas, allowing them to overpower him.

Interviewed over what had begun as a domestic incident, Gibb said he had not made any threats against his family or the police. He had merely been sharpening his knives.

Gibb pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour provoking fear of violence and Geoffrey Rogers, mitigating, said the offence followed a bout of drinking.

Mr Rogers said he got into an argument with his wife, with whom he is now reconciled, which had led to the police being called.

Officers found him sitting on a settee and, in spite of him making no move towards them with the knives, he was sprayed with the gas, over-powered and handcuffed, he said.

Court chairman Lindsay Councell called for probation reports to be prepared and bailed Gibb until January 4.