A MAN who gave his name in court as Lucifer threatened to burn down his own mother’s house and slit her throat.

District Judge Jane Goodwin was told how the man was obsessed with the Devil – a fixation he had developed since he started misusing drugs.

The court heard how the defendant, whose real name is Michael Pinder, had pleaded guilty to common assault on his mother, threats to endanger her Burnley home by fire and theft of £250, also from him mum.

Prosecutor Neil White explained how the 36-year-old had argued with his mother over money and said that if she went out, she would not come back to a home - because he was going to set fire to it.

Mr White added: “He seems to be obsessed with the Devil and his mother thinks that he needs help.”

Jailing Pinder, of Lanark Street, Burnley, to 16 weeks in prison, Judge Goodwin said: “These are serious offences involving your own mother – you threatened to slit her throat and held an ornament towards her.”

Pinder has previously been in trouble with the courts, and was jailed last year for 10 months following a disturbing incident in which he brandished a knife at firefighters and threatened police with a ‘bomb’ that he was ‘wheeling down the street.’

During a January 2020 sentence hearing for the case, Preston Crown Court heard how firefighters had been called to the home of Michael Allen Pinder at 7pm on December 10, amid reports that a man was inside with his clothes on fire.

Prosecuting, Karen Brooks said Burnley station watch manager Damian Hartley was on his way when he received further information to proceed with caution because there was a man in a garden with a gun.

When crews arrived, the front door of the house in Cog Lane, Burnley, was locked but 35-year-old Pinder opened it and told Mr Hartley that the fire had been extinguished.

Ms Brooks said that Mr Hartley, having made it clear he would have to check the fire had been extinguished, asked Pinder where the man with the gun was.

Pinder pointed to the rear yard of the property and said there was a man with a fluorescent jacket and a gun.

Ms Brooks said: “The defendant stated he had set the fire to attract the attention of the emergency services so that man would depart. The fire officer, as he looked into the rear yard, could see only a dog running around. So he became aware there were some concerns regarding the defendant.”

When Mr Hartley accompanied Pinder upstairs he looked in one of the bedrooms and could see a pile of clothes which had been on fire. There was a lot of smoke which needed to be cleared with an extractor fan.

Pinder then began smoking cannabis and when Mr Hartley asked him to extinguish it, the defendant became agitated and demanded the firefighters leave.

Ms Brooks said: “Efforts were made to persuade the defendant that help was required to disperse the smoke. The defendant stated he didn’t require any help, he didn’t want to hurt anyone but he had a knife in his possession.”

Firefighters immediately left but Pinder later followed them out with the knife.

He pointed at them and said: “Pick a number,” and repeated again that he had a knife.

Pinder then grabbed hold of the firefighters’ extractor fan and started wheeling it down the street.

As Pinder turned onto Bristol Street he was approached by PC Katrina Wozniak, who he told to stay away.

Ms Brooks said Pinder walked into a ginnel and shouted to PC Wozniak: “I have a knife and if the police come towards me I will defend myself.”

Because of a lack of street lighting in the ginnel, PC Wozniak used a torch to keep track of Pinder.

As Pinder turned on the fan, he shouted towards her: “I have explosives. Don’t come near me. You’re in the firing line.”

Pinder was persuaded to drop the fan and the knife after a second police officer arrived and was arrested.