A man reported himself to police as he stood holding a kitchen knife in a Cardigan street, a court heard.

Luke Alexander Taylor, aged 24, of 29 Jury Lane, Haverfordwest, pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, when he appeared before Aberystwyth magistrates on Wednesday.

The court heard that Taylor had spent the evening drinking larger and vodka with friends in Cardigan, and his former girlfriend woke at around 4.30am on November 20 to find him in her bedroom holding a knife.

She asked him to give her the knife, and when he said he couldn’t, she tried to grab it and cut her hand.

She followed Taylor as he went outside to Napier Street and heard him telephone the police saying: “I have a knife, come and get me.”

Police arriving on the scene saw Taylor walking down the street, holding the large kitchen knife in the air, and described it as a ‘threatening manner’.

Officers struck him with a baton after their incapacitating spray failed to have any effect, and he was arrested.

Peter Lloyd, prosecuting, said: “Clearly there are dangerous circumstances and the knife was used to threaten and cause fear.”

He added that Taylor was currently serving a custodial sentence for an arson offence.

Iestyn Davies, defending, told the court his client had been involved with mental health teams. He did not accept that the knife was used to cause fear and said Taylor had not been heard to make any threats.

Mr Davies said: “He reported himself. He reached a stage where he thought he needed to be taken in by police. I would submit that he was asking for help at that time. His former girlfriend confirms that he did not seem to be offering a threat to anyone but himself.”

He added: “The incapacitating spray did not take effect because he was wearing glasses, not because he has superpowers.”

Magistrates sentenced Taylor to 26 weeks custody, to be served concurrently with his current prison sentence.