A MAN who threatened a group of people near a Chester pub while carrying a samurai sword has been jailed for 16 months.

Michael Dunne, 42, of Christleton Road, had previously pleaded guilty at the first opportunity to holding the 3ft-bladed sword by his side after threatening a group of men outside the Mount Inn off Sandy Lane.

Prosecuting, Michael Whitty said it was just before 8pm on June 20 when an off-duty police officer had seen a group of about six to seven men chasing another man outside the Mount Inn, at The Mount, Chester. The one man was acting aggressive and the others were trying to calm him down. It became apparent to the off-duty officer that all the men knew each other.

However, Dunne – who was on the other side of the road – began acting aggressive, shouting at the group before adding: "Carry on, watch" as he went inside his house.

He re-emerged a short time later with a samurai sword, with the blade exposed, holding it parallel to the ground.

Police attended shortly after 8pm and went to the flat where Dunne was, and arrested him. He said: "I only wanted to stop a fight."

He had retrieved the sword from behind a TV.

The court heard he had four previous convictions for five offences, including grievous bodily harm in 2012, for which he received a suspended sentence, but had no convictions in the last five years.

Defending, Patrick Gartland said a pre-sentence report and a number of character references had been submitted to the court.

He said this was not a case of Dunne going to scare the group just for the sake of it, but to stop a fight.

"His intention was good, his execution was very poor," Mr Gartland said.

Dunne had been drinking before the incident.

He had not been to prison before and led a solitary life at home with his cat.

He had health issues and was eager to work with professionals on an alcohol treatment programme, having engaged with one since his appearance in the magistrates court.

Judge Michael Leeming said Dunne was outside the Ginger Monkey Coffee Shop at the time of the offence and accepted the defendant did not cross the road to confront the gang, nor did he wave the sword around.

He said the defendant, at the time of the offence, had drunk five cans of lager.

The previous offence of grievous bodily harm had been when Dunne had pushed his partner's mother, where she fell over and fractured her pelvis.

The judge said it was "troubling" that Dunne had sought to minimise what he had done in the pre-sentence report, claiming he only pleaded guilty on legal advice, and did not accept the group would have been intimidated.

He said there was no reason for him to get involved.

Judge Leeming added: "There was plainly a risk of serious disorder," as he sentenced Dunne to 16 months in prison.

The samurai sword was to be the subject of a deprivation order.