A TEENAGER who threatened a man with an imitation gun has been spared a jail sentence.

The complainant said the gun wielded by Ricky Corner looked real, but it later transpired it was a plastic toy.

Teesside Crown Court heard Corner, 19, had been threatened with a hammer and a knife during an incident in the back garden of a home in Easson Street, Middlesbrough, on September 29 last year.

Corner also claimed he had been trying to protect his sister during a row over drugs between the defendant and complainant.

Corner, of Valley Road, Middlesbrough, admitted possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

His barrister, Rebecca Dyson, said Corner had since made up with the complainant and was “genuinely ashamed” of his behaviour.

She said: “He is the type of person who will not appear before these courts again.”

A probation report on the teenager, who had never been in trouble before, said jailing Corner would have a devastating impact as he cared for his ill father, allowing his mother to work full-time.

Judge Peter Bowers gave Corner a community order with 12 months' supervision.