STAFF at an Accrington family centre called police when a man was seen trying door handles and attempting to enter the building.

Blackburn magistrates heard that officers found a hammer hidden inside Paul Lomax’s jacket and he later told them he had it to ‘knock people out’ because they had been bugging his sister.

But the district judge hearing the case said it was obvious the ham- mer was to be used in the course of theft for breaking windows on either buildings or cars.

Lomax, 33, of Crossland Street, Accrington, pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

He was sentenced to one month in prison for the offence and a further eight months for being in breach of a suspended prison sentence.

The court heard he is awaiting sentence at Crown Court for robbery.