A former serviceman who left the Army suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (ptsd) threatened ambulance paramedics at knifepoint while heavily intoxicated.

Durham Crown Court heard that the ambulance service was called to Christopher Scott’s home over concerns for his welfare due to his condition after bingeing on drink and possibly also drugs, on May 16.

On their arrival Scott, who was one of two men present at the address in Fell Rose Court, Pelton Fell, picked up a large knife and told them: “Get out of my f***ing house".

The paramedics retreated and deployed an emergency alarm, fearing for their safety, requesting the attendance of police.

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Claire Anderson, prosecuting, said one of the paramedics was left particularly badly shaken, having never witnessed behaviour like that previously in her time with the service.

Scott, 38, who was arrested and has remained remanded in custody in the weeks since the incident, admitted charges of affray and threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a private place, at a previous hearing.

Miss Anderson said while Scott’s most recent conviction was for being drunk and disorderly, he has a previous offence on his record of possessing a bladed article, and so is a “second-strike” offender, liable to an automatic six-month sentence.

Chris Morrison, in mitigation, told the court: “When sober, he’s mortified at his behaviour.

“He’s very sorry to those who were confronted by this most unseemly brouhaha.

“His first thought was they were coming to attend the other occupant of the house.

“He has regular medication but unfortunately it was delayed and he had not had his medication for five days.

“In this incident a combination of lack of medication and the alcohol he took meant he wasn’t himself.

“In his words, he wishes to say he’s ‘massively sorry’.

“As a former serviceman with the Royal Logistics Corps who witnessed injury and death in a combat situation, he’s aware of the undesirability of this type of behaviour.

“He, himself, suffers with ongoing ptsd having witnessed his sergeant being killed in front of him, in Iraq.

“That, effectively, brought an end to his military service.”

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Mr Morrison said: “The defendant has struggled to re-stabilise himself back on ‘civvie street’, and was, clearly, in a most disturbed situation at the time of this incident.

“There’s genuine remorse for what he has done.

“No-one was, thankfully, harmed or assaulted and, fortunately, it wasn’t long before the police arrived and he came relatively quietly.

“When all said and done it was an affray in which a knife was produced.

“It wasn’t being carried about in public. It was in domestic circumstances.”

Mr Morison added that the defendant has been able to regularise his behaviour while in custody since the incident.

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Judge James Adkin told Scott that the ambulance personnel went to his address due to fears for his safety, but despite that, were greeted with him making knife threats, leaving them fearful for their own safety.

The judge told Scott that whatever the situation with his medication, the state of his mental health would not have been assisted by the consumption of large amount of alcohol that day.

Imposing a ten-month term of imprisonment, Judge Adkin said the message should go out that anyone threatening emergency service personnel with a knife will face a custodial sentence.