A MAN confronted a group of youths with a hammer and knife after they turned up at a ‘peaceful barbeque’.

Christopher Kelly appeared before Liverpool Crown Court yesterday, Wednesday, after pleading guilty to threatening a person with a knife in a public place and possessing a hammer in a public place.

Prosecuting, Christopher Hopkins said the incident happened on Southworth Avenue in Bewsey in May of this year. Although he said it is ‘not quite clear’ what happened.

The court heard how Kelly was having a barbeque at his home address when ‘a car arrived with several youths in’.

Kelly, 39, was then seen having ‘some sort of dispute’ with them.

“His response was to take a kitchen knife, which he had at the barbeque, and pick up a hammer and then go and confront the youths,” Mr Hopkins said.

Liverpool Crown Court heard how the reason for the ‘disagreement’ is unknown, but a witness recorded Kelly ‘wandering the street’ with a knife in one hand and a hammer in the other.

Kelly was then arrested by officers.

He has 12 convictions for 20 offences, with the last one being committed six years ago.

Concluding, Judge Simon Medland said: “You have been in trouble in the past, but nothing for six years now.

“You seem to have kept yourself on the straight and narrow.

“What happened on this occasion is not quite clear.”

Kelly received a six-month prison sentence suspended for 18 months.

He must also complete a 12-month mental health treatment requirement, 100 hours of unpaid work and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.