A Workington man who became paranoid after taking drugs armed himself with a knife and told the friend whose flat he was staying in: “I’m going to stick this in anyone who gets in my way.”

Mark Eland, 28, whose mental health took a nosedive after the death of his mother, caused £1,000 worth of damage with the knife, attacking a TV, table, door and bannister in his friend’s flat at Harrington Road, Workington, on May 1.

He pleaded guilty to an offence of affray.

Kim Whittlestone, outlining the offence at Carlisle Crown Court, said the defendant and the lady involved had been friends for some time.

At 10pm on the night of the offence, he turned up uninvited at her property and persuaded her to let him stay, telling her his father did not want him at his address.

“She reluctantly agreed,” said the barrister. Though he admitted having taken amphetamine and cocaine, his behaviour was initially fine.

“But in the early hours, the defendant’s behaviour suddenly changed,” said Miss Whittlestone. He heard a bang at the front door and became paranoid and aggressive.

“He kept saying there were people outside the flat,” said the barrister. The defendant made references to a man nicknamed Rambo and to his friend "setting him up.”

He continued being paranoid, grabbing a knife from the kitchen. Despite her efforts to calm him, he used the knife to slash the TV, the walls, and door. He was convinced somebody had come to the flat to harm him.

A short time later, he jumped from a window and fled. The young woman was left “extremely frightened” by his behaviour.

Jamie Baxter, for Eland, of Moorclose Road, Workington, said he had not addressed his mental health issues properly at the time.

The barrister said: “He turned to drink and drugs. It made him more paranoid and more anxious.” The death of Eland’s mother three years ago caused him significant trauma, added the barrister.

Recorder Nicholas Clarke QC imposed a four-month jail term but suspended it for 12 months, with 30 rehabilitation days and a four-month curfew. Eland was already on a suspended sentence for carrying a knuckle-duster but activating that would have been unjust, added the judge.