A MAN armed himself with a 10-inch kitchen knife and called the police threatening that he would stab someone in a desperate 'cry for help', a court heard.

Glen Churchill, aged 31, was jailed after he admitted possessing a knife in public and breaching a suspended sentence order.

Prosecuting, Lucy Conroy, told Bournemouth Crown Court that on October 30, 2021, police received a call just before 6.30am from the defendant stating that he had a knife and that if he saw the wrong person he would stab them.

Police went to Dorchester Road in Weymouth and one officer was said to have 'red dotted him' with a Taser, whilst the other officer went up to Churchill, removed the knife from his trouser pocket and arrested him.

In interview, Churchill described the incident as a 'cry for help' and said he wanted to get arrested. He was said to have been in a 'severely depressed state' and had no intention of harming anybody.

Ms Conroy said Churchill was very drunk at the time and admitted that he needed help with a drinking problem.

The court heard that Churchill, who appeared in court via video link from HMP Bullingdon, had previous convictions, two of which related to knife offences, and was serving a suspended sentence at the time of the offence last October.

The offences included an occasion in May 2019, when he went to a taxi office in Weymouth and told an employee that he had a knife and would stab the next person who came in. Police found Churchill outside of a different taxi office waving the knife in a figure of eight motion in front of himself.

Then in February 2020, Churchill was arrested on Maiden Street at 5.30am for the possession of an eight-inch carving knife.

Mitigating, Christopher Pix, said: "He phoned the police because he needed some mental health care and support."

Mr Pix said that it was unlikely that Churchill would do something similar for help in the future as he now knows who his support networks are and knows what to do in terms of contacting a GP and out-of-hours services and has additional help from family and friends.

He said: "He has been on new medication since November, and since then, the thoughts he had are no longer there.

"He describes picking up the knife from the kitchen as a 'cry for help'. He phoned 999 because he thought it was the best way of getting help.

"This is a man who can be rehabilitated."

Recorder James Bromige told the defendant: "The fact your cry for help involves you arming yourself and making it known to others that you are in possession of a knife is of particular concern to me.

"It is very clear to me that you are in need of such help."

Churchill was sentenced to 202 days imprisonment and must pay a £149 victim surcharge. Mr Bromige also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the knife.