A TEENAGER waved a knife at frightened drinkers outside a Ramsbottom pub after he had been asked to leave by the landlord, a court heard.

William Roy, 18, also threw a number of punches as he repeatedly threatened visitors to The Brook on Bolton Road West in April this year.

At Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, Philip Hall, prosecuting, said Roy, of Dawson Street, Bury, was in the pub on April 23 at around 9.45pm when he was spoken to by landlord Steven Taylor.

Roy had been talking in the pub on his mobile phone which was not permitted due to Covid-19 restrictions and he was asked to leave the premises which he did without incident.

About five minutes later, Roy returned and began threatening a group outside the pub, saying he would "f*** them up" before approaching their table "bouncing on his feet".

A struggle began with two men and Roy dropped a knife which he then picked up and begin to wave in the air causing people nearby to panic.

Mr Taylor approached Roy again and asked him to leave but also managed to take a photograph of the teenager which police officers later used to identify him.

Mr Hall said: "He (Roy) was goading people and saying he was going to get his whole family to the pub and it was at that point which Mr Taylor moved away."

Two male drinkers approached Roy who punched one of them causing his nose to bleed before they were able to restrain him on the floor.

He broke free and punched the other man twice to the face while punching out at other people and threatening to kill and stab them while continuing to wave the knife around.

When police officers arrived they searched for Roy and found him in a back garden sat on some steps "crying erratically".

The weapon was later recovered by officers with Mr Hall describing it as a "hunting knife".

Mr Hall read a victim statement from Mr Taylor which said: "The public will now think the pub is rough because the police have been there with blue flashing lights.

"We would normally deal with incidents in house and I would rarely call the police but on this occasion it was different and I knew I had to because people who carry knives are a threat to society and they are the reason people don't feel safe when they walk down the street."

Mr Hall added that Roy, who pleaded guilty to affray and possession of a bladed article, had spent 28 days remanded in custody and had been the subject of an electronic curfew between 7pm and 7am for 30 days.

John Richards, defending, said Roy was "terrified" about the prospect of returning to prison.

He said: "It was a very empty threat to bring his family to the pub because this young man's family consists of his elderly grandmother and grandfather. Both of them are mortified about what he has done and they are deeply ashamed.

"I don't think I've ever seen someone so terrified about going back to prison."

Passing sentence, Recorder Jeremy Barnett, said: "Parliament intends anyone who brings a knife out in public to go straight to prison but there is a good deal of mitigation here.

"You were waving the knife around but you didn't actually use it and it was completely bizarre behaviour which was out of character.

"What you did was awful but there has been some water under the bridge and now is the time to impose a constructive sentence."

He handed Roy a 12 month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and he was made the subject of a one month curfew between 7pm and 7am. He will also have to complete 25 days of a rehabilitation activity requirements.