Officers were called to Nathan Summerfield's North Avenue address in the early hours of 19th November after an argument broke out with his partner.

When they arrived Summerfield (26) was in an agitated state and police smelled alcohol on his breath. He told officers his partner was upset and had been crying, before leaving the property.

But a short time later he burst back into the house, prompting police to tell him to calm down and empty his pockets, at which point he revealed the knife he had been carrying.

He admitted possessing a knife in a public place when he appeared before Mansfield magistrates last Wednesday.

In mitigation, Cassandra Zannelle said Summerfield had never intended to use or show the knife.

She told the court Summerfield had become frustrated after the couple had argued and had used the knife to cut himself.

When his partner came downstairs Summerfield hid the knife in his back pocket.

Miss Zannelle said: "He feels stupid for how he has behaved on that night. It was very much out of character."

When interviewed by police he fully admitted taking the knife out in public when he left the house.

Magistrates described his honesty as 'refreshing' but warned Summerfield that carrying a knife was a very serious crime and they had taken a 'huge step back' from Home Office guidelines.

Summerfield was fined £500 and ordered to pay costs of £60 and a £15 victim surcharge.