A BARE-CHESTED knifeman threatened to stab two house guests when a drunken party got out of hand.

Kevin Crouch first called the police to report the mayhem and told a call handler: "There's men hitting women."

But before hanging up, the 35-year-old added: "Don't worry, I'll sort it myself."

Crouch armed himself with a carving knife and chased the men from his home in Richmond, North Yorkshire.

Out in the street - and in front of a terrified teenage paperboy - he yelled at them: "I'm going to stab you."

Crouch was jailed for eight months at Teesside Crown Court on Thursday after being found guilty by magistrates last month of threatening a person with a bladed article in a public place.

The father-of-five claimed he had not left his garden – a defence to the charge, as it would have been a private place – but was convicted after a trial.

The 13-year-old witness gave evidence for more than an hour, and told justices that Crouch had his top off, with the knife above his head on the pavement.

In an impact statement after the case, the youngster said he suffers nightmares about what he saw, and added: "I used to be quite a chilled person, but now I get anxious and stressed about things."

The boy rode away from the 7.30am drama and called his mother and the police, who found Crouch "intoxicated and agitated", said prosecutor Christopher Wood.

Judge Deborah Sherwin heard how the railway worker has ten offences on his record, and was on a community order for assault when the incident took place last August.

Rod Hunt, mitigating, asked the judge to show leniency and suspend any prison sentence, but she told Crouch: "Producing a knife in a public place is a very serious matter, and one which ordinarily attracts a custodial sentence.

"Having regard to your previous convictions and to the fact that this was an offence committed in a public place and witnessed by that 13-year-old, I'm afraid I cannot suspend the sentence."

The court heard that Crouch's own children – aged from eight to 21 – were inside the house at the time.

Mr Hunt said: "This can be viewed as a problem that came to him. He did not seek it out. It is unusual that a defendant should call the police. Instead of waiting for them to attend, he took matters into his own hands."