Saying he was speaking from the moon, a Newquay man warned police in Milton Keynes that his plan was to blow up the town's train station.

The empty threat was an attempt to get himself arrested, Truro magistrates heard.

Paul Blatchford, 39, of Mount Wise, Newquay, who admitted sending a threatening telephone call to British Transport Police on July 16 last year, also told the operator that the reason he was ringing was that he was reading a statement relating to a previous incident in Milton Keynes and was trying to explain it but got angry and that was why he threatened to blow up the station.

Blatchford told the magistrates when he first appeared before them in December that he had been attempting to look at the facts of a previous case.

Gail Hawkley, for the CPS, said then that in his call he had explained that he suffered from some mental disorder and wanted to know what he could do to be arrested and sent to prison. He said several times he wanted to blow up the station to get arrested and if he was not taken then he would commit more offences.

He also admitted breaching a conditional discharge imposed for two offences of battery.

The magistrates adjourned the case, asking for a probation report.

On Friday, after considering this report, they fined Blatchford £40 for making the threatening telephone call and told him to pay £60 costs and £20 victim surcharge, revoked his conditional discharge and re sentenced him for the two battery offences, fining him £35 on each.