A TEENAGER who brandished a meat cleaver at take-away staff because he feared his food had been spat on has been spared jail.

Brett Ingram hurled a boulder through the window at the premises in Roker, Sunderland, before warning "I'll cut you all up" while brandishing the weapon.

The incident happened at around 9pm on November 12 last year.

During the melee Ingram also smashed the window of a nearby car and hen he was arrested police found a kitchen knife in the waistband of his trousers.

The 18-year-old, of Stockton Road, Ryhope, Sunderland, admitted affray, having an offensive weapon, having a bladed article, and criminal damage.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how Ingram believes his outrageous behaviour may have been caused by his drink being spiked at a party he was at before the incident.

His barrister Glen Gatland told the court: "One of his friends said when he had a take-away meal from the premises his food had been spat on - this is quite often an urban myth.

"The defendant had previously eaten something from the premises and having been told that, and having been disinhibited by whatever it was he had on that night, behaved in that totally outrageous fashion.

"He has little recollection of what happened."

Mr Gatland said Ingram comes from a "very respectable" family but at the time of the offence had been hanging around with a bad crowd and drinking.

Since that time Ingram has turned his back on his former friends and has stopped drinking to excess.

Mr Recorder Hirst said: "It is clear you are a person with some good contributes, you just let yourself and your family down in a very bad way on this one occasion.

"It seems to be very unlikely this is going to be repeated."

The judge sentenced him to a community order for 18 months with 200 hours unpaid work and a curfew from 8pm to 5.30am for two months.

He was ordered to pay £400 compensation to the take-away and £130 to the owner of the car.

The judge added: "This was a dreadful example of violent behavior."