AN off-duty police officer who intervened when a drunken customer became abusive and threatening towards a shop assistant ended up being assaulted.

Blackburn magistrates heard that when uniformed colleagues arrested Carl Michael Landon they found he had a lock-knife.

Landon, 30, of Sherwood Way, Accrington, pleaded guilty to assaulting a police officer, possessing a knife in a public place, possessing cannabis and using threatening behaviour.

He was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison suspended for 12 months, made subject to a community order for 12 months with a 20-day rehabilitation requirement and a four-week curfew.

He was ordered to pay £100 compensation to PC Anthony Roberts, £85 costs and £15 victim surcharge.

Catherine Allan, prosecuting, said PC Roberts went into a store in Whalley Road, Accrington, and saw the defendant being extremely aggressive towards a female assistant who was clearly frightened. PC Roberts showed Landon his warrant card and tried to calm him down.

“He told the officer he knew where he lived and said he would come round and have him,” said Miss Allan. “He said he was going to knock him out.”

Landon left but returned and issued more threats to the officer who described him as getting more and more aggressive.

He pushed PC Roberts in the chest and he responded with a distraction strike at which point uniformed colleagues arrived and arrested Landon.

Jonathan Taylor, defending, said his client accepted responsibility for the incident in its entirety. “He accepts that he had been drinking and things escalated out of control,” said Mr Taylor.

“The knife was very small and he says he uses it in the course of his work. There is no suggestion that the knife was brandished.”