A MAN armed himself with a knife and reported himself the police in order to get himself sent back to prison.

Blackburn magistrates heard it was the second time Nathan Woods had tried to get himself recalled on prison licence but the first time, when he threw eggs at two police officers, only resulted in a warning from the probation service.

Woods, 25, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article in Green Road, Colne, two charges of assaulting an emergency worker and theft of medication from a vets. He was sentenced to a total of 21 weeks in prison after the court heard he had been recalled on prison licence until February 2022.

Carl Gaffney, prosecuting, said on January 31 Woods had walked into Stanley House Vets, picked up a packet of animal medication and left.

"The motivation was to take the tablets himself," said Mr Gaffney. "The risk to the community was small and the loss to the vets minimal but the potential damage to him was huge, which probably tells you about his state of mind at the time.

Mr Gaffney said the egging of the police officers had been more humiliating than actually violent but the victims had been doing their public duty and should not have been targeted.

He said when police approached Woods after being told of a man carrying a knife, he put the blade down and held out his hands to be handcuffed.

Jonathan Taylor, defending, said since his release on prison licence his client had problems with accommodation, eventually becoming homeless, and his relationship failed.

"Things quickly spiralled out of control," said Mr Taylor. He said following the incident when he threw eggs at the police officers Woods had contemplated suicide.

"He found himself standing on a bridge wondering what to do next, that was how close he got," said Mr Taylor.

"He decided the only way he was going to get the help he needed was to be returned to custody."

Mr Taylor said Woods had put the knife in his pocket before making the call to the police telling them he had a knife and where he was.

"It was a quite deliberate act to make sure he was arrested and returned to prison," said Mr Taylor. "He had the knife on him but didn't cause any problems with it and was fully compliant with the officers who responded to his call."