AN 'agitated' armed man who threatened to stab a police officer in the neck has been jailed for a year.

Adam Trainor reacted angrily when officers turned up at his girlfriend's house after she flagged them down while in a 'distressed state' following an argument.

Trainor answered the door with a large kitchen knife in one hand and a rolling pin in the other, Teesside Crown Court heard.

Anthony Pettengell, prosecuting, said Trainor then threatened the officers shouting 'You had better be from armed response, I will stab you in the neck you little ***' before closing the door.

A four-hour long stand-off then ensued as officers retreated to a safe distance while the 32-year-old continued the hurl threats and abuse at them.

Mr Pettengell said: "At one point the defendant threw a glass picture frame at the officers. He continued to threaten to stab any officer who entered the address.

"He shouted 'I don't care if you have a gun, the first officer who comes through the door will get stabbed up'."

The court heard how Trainor let his girlfriend's mother leave the house uninjured before he threw two knives out of the window and handing himself into the police in the early hours of April 26.

Mr Pettengell said the defendant told officers he had little recollection of what happened during his police interview.

Trainor, of Oxford Road, Hartlepool, pleaded guilty to affray and threats to kill.

In mitigation, Stephen Constantine, said his client was seeking help for his mental health problems and urged the judge to suspend any custodial sentence.

He said: "It is clear that he has suffered some mental health problems over the last few years."

Judge Stephen Ashurst told Trainor that police officers didn't go to work to be threatened by people with knives.

"You made a lot of extremely threatening remarks, remarks backed up by the fact you were holding up a weapon," he said.

"You continued to threaten to stab anybody who came through the door.

"I accept you have acknowledged what you did and there are signs you have taken steps to put your life in order.

"There was no need for you to make these threats or for you to behave the way that you did."