A TEENAGE boy threatened two men with an imitation gun in a Dallam pub.

The 16-year-old pointed the revolver-style weapon at them in January.

He said to one: "You want it? I will shoot you."

The boy, who cannot be named because he was dealt with in a youth court, made the threats at the now closed Longshaw Bell Pub, Longshaw Street, Dallam.

He was found guilty of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence on Thursday.

He told Warrington Magistrates' Court that the item in his hand had actually been a mobile phone.

No weapon was found in the pub or at the boy's home.

But several witnesses described the item as a black revolver with a barrel - and they were adamant it was not the mobile phone they were shown a picture of.

After the verdict, defence solicitor, Gary Schooler, said: "He has witnessed his mother being attacked by a number of men who she has been in relationships with. I think when he went to the pub he was seeking to protect his mother."

The boy, who has no previous convictions, will be sentenced after the preparation of reports into his background and character.