A TROUBLED man with a dislike of the police made an attention-seeking 999 call to get a buzz from the emergency services turning up, a court heard.

Patrick Tolmie threatened to hurt himself with a broken bottle in the latest in a long line of crimes such as arson and carrying offensive weapons.

He is behind bars today after falling foul of a tough new law brought in just three days before he was found in the street with two large shards of glass.

The 26-year-old called emergency services from a telephone box in Middlesbrough late at night on July 20 saying he would slash his neck and wrists.

Tolmie, who has a history of mental health problems and carrying knives, faced a minimum sentence of six months when he appeared at Teesside Crown Court.

The recent law change affects anyone convicted for the second time of having a weapon or a blade, but Tolmie's lawyer argued his was an exceptional case.

Robert Mochrie, mitigating, said: “At no time did he threaten others. He was clearly not thinking things through and he was being led by his emotional deficiencies.”

He told how Tolmie had significant mental health difficulties but was working well with other agencies despite his struggles with the stresses of life.

Tolmie was in breach of a six-month suspended sentence for exposing himself to a woman by walking into her flat, refusing to leave and dropping his tracksuit bottoms.

The court heard he had seven convictions for possessing knives in 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2014, as well as arson and a long record for “nuisance-type offending”.

The judge, Recorder David Dixon, said Tolmie had “no end of issues”, but said he made regular cries for help and enjoyed attention from the emergency services.

He said: “The risk must always be there that when you have an offensive weapon, others may be harmed. That’s the evil that the act tries to prevent taking place.

"You enjoy the attention that comes from the police and the emergency services being involved, albeit you dislike the police. There is a strange double situation."

Tolmie, 26, of Parliament Road, Middlesbrough, admitted possessing an offensive weapon, and breaching a suspended sentence and was jailed for six months.

Mr Recorder Dixon told him: "Make sure you don’t carry any more knives or offensive weapons . . . next time it will be longer and longer and longer.”