A DRUNK who was twice caught carrying bladed weapons in public has been jailed for 12 months.

Mark McCartney was first arrested after police were called following reports of a man wandering the streets of Middlesbrough carrying a knife and covered in blood.

When police arrived on Sandringham Road they discovered McCartney in a heavily inebriated state at 9.35am in the morning, Teesside Crown Court heard.

As officers approached him, the defendant put his hand in his pocket and refused to remove it, said Jenny Haigh, prosecuting.

The 40-year-old had a Taser pointed at his chest before finally taking his hand out of his pocket, where a craft knife was recovered on November 1 last year.

Miss Haigh said the defendant then became agitated and abusive as the officers arrested him and took him to the police station where another weapon was discovered.

She said: "He had his hand in his pocket and refused to remove it as requested because of that the officer put the red dot of his Taser on the defendant – it was clear the defendant was in drink."

McCartney was arrested again at around 6pm on June 17 this year when he was spotted carrying a nine-inch knife around whilst drunk in the Ormesby area.

Miss Haigh said the police approached him with their Tasers out and discovered the kitchen knife hidden in his clothing after finding sitting in a bus shelter near The Fountain pub.

McCartney, of Wetherby Green, Ormesby, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to three charges of possession of a bladed article in respect of the November incident and a further similar charge from June this year.

Ian Mullarkey, mitigating, said his client suffered from depression but told him that he didn't have a problem with alcohol.

Judge Stephen Ashurst jailed McCartney for a a total of 12 months for both incidents telling him that members of the public reported him to the police due to his 'bizarre' behaviour.

He said: "The public have to know that people found carrying knives in public, especially if they have done it before, then the law states that they must go to prison.

"It has to be applied because of the understandable public concern about the danger to life if the knives are used offensively."