A MAN who said he would attack police officers with weapons including knives and a hammer if they tried to Taser him has been jailed.

Burnley Crown Court heard Darryl Grant Dyson,  23, of Belford Street, Burnley, made the threat after he had barged his way into the house of the ex-girlfriend's house.

And the court heard once police had entered the house in Darwin Street, Burnley, via the front door, Dyson ran out the back and was found a short time later by officers hiding in a garden shed without any weapons.

Prosecuting, Paul Cummings told the court the incident had started earlier in the evening of July 25 when Dyson had threatened his former partner, Nicola Nadin, outside her mother's house.

The court heard the defendant and Ms Nadin had been in a 'happy' relationship for four years but that started to break down following a personal tragedy which effected them both.

They remained together for a further two years but Mr Cummings said Ms Nadin, who had three children from a previous relationship, had to have a panic alarm fitted at her home because of Dyson's threatening and violent behaviour towards her.

Earlier this year she had to seek help from a women's refuge but left in May, following a 'period of quiet' from Dyson.

But on July 25 the court heard Dyson threatened Ms Nadin outside her mother's house and demanded the key to her house.

Mr Cummings said when she refused Dyson replied: "If you don't give me the keys I'll just go through the door."

Dyson then chased the victim down the street, forcing her to run into her mother's house.

He then said: "Don't think your mum will stop me."

When Ms Nadin left her house around 8.30pm to pick up her children Dyson shouted more abuse towards her and her mother and at one stage had to be restrained by his friends, the prosecutor said.

When Ms Nadin, who was heavily pregnant at the time, returned to her house with her mother she saw that a panel on her front door had been broken and someone had been inside the house. The court heard the TV was on and she realised the keys to the back door had been taken.

At around midnight, with Ms Nadin watching TV with her mother and her three children asleep upstairs, the victim heard her dog barking in the back yard. She had left the back door open because the tumble dryer was on.

As the victim and her mother went to investigate what the noise was they saw Dyson, who had facial injuries, come through the back door.

Dyson is said to have looked towards Ms Nadin before saying: "I've just been beaten up by 12 people. It's all your fault. You set them on me."

The court heard the women managed to push Dyson out of the back door but he managed to force his way back in.

The police were called and at that point Ms Nadin saw the defendant go to the kitchen drawer and get two knives, one with an eight-inch blade and one with a three-inch blade, and a hammer.

It was at that point he said: "I am not going to go down without a fight. These aren't for you. These are for the police. They're not going to Taser me. If I go down I'll make sure you lose your kids."

Dyson, who has 21 convictions for 51 offences, pleaded guilty to burglary, three counts of possessing an offensive weapon and a public order offence of making threats of violence.

Defending, Mark Stuart said his client had been trying to rekindle the relationship but it was something Ms Nadin clearly did not want.

Mr Stuart said: "Whilst this is undoubtedly a very unsavoury incident for which the complainant would have been extremely worried, and despite my client's behaviour on the night, there was no physical violence on his part."

Jailing Dyson for 30 months, Judge Philip Parry said he had taken the back door key so his victim would know that he could return at any time.

Judge Parry added: "Your possession of weapons on the night was in dangerous circumstances because you plainly had violence on your mind."

An indefinite restraining order was imposed, preventing Dyson from contacting his victim.