A MAN who threatened to go on a rampage through Falmouth with a claw hammer and said he would "kill if he had to" had only been released from hospital hours earlier.

It was around 9.30pm on Sunday, May 27 that police had received the first phone call from Alex Thomas Furniss, claiming three people were outside his house in Dracaena Avenue and were "trying to get inside." He told the officer that he had been assaulted and kidnapped by these people before, that he was armed with a hammer and he "would kill if he had to."

In fact, 25-year-old Furniss was living in supported accommodation and staff confirmed to police that there was no one outside, assuring officers they could look after Furniss, who was having a mental health episode.

However, at 10.10pm Furniss made another phone saying he had a hammer with him and a third claiming people were outside and he was going to go to the Esso garage.

Prosecutor Alison May told the magistrates court in Truro that Furnish had added that "if officers did not get there in four minutes he would go on the rampage."

Police officers found Furniss at the entrance to the garage forecourt and shouted at him to drop the hammer and lie down, which he did.

He had told them: "I was desperately trying to get help. I would never have hurt anyone or broken anything. I was screaming out for help."

Furniss claimed to them that the mental health team "kept passing it on" and it had been "going on a long, long time."

He added: "My head does not operate. My body does not operate. I don't feel human anymore."

Mrs May said Furniss had some previous convictions, including a bomb hoax.

Appearing from custody, where he had spent the last two months, Furniss had his left arm in a sling and wore a long beaded cross around his neck.

Offering mitigation, solicitor Robin Smith said Furniss had only been released from hospital on the day of the offence, having been admitted the previous day during a period of "psychotic events."

"He felt he had been released from hospital far too early, without receiving any of the help he had been desperately asking for over previous months and years," said Mr Smith.

Having now been helped in prison, he was keen to keep working with his caseworker in Exeter and hoped to move there to do so.

The court was told that Furniss had initially pleaded not guilty to having an offensive weapon in public, but this was in order to stay in custody and continue receiving treatment. He changed his plea to guilty last month.

A probation officer told magistrates there were known issues with mental health and illegal substances that "ran in tandem," but Furniss had "made very good progress."

Magistrates sentenced Furniss to a 12-month community order, to include a 25-day rehabilitation activity.

Furniss told them: "I will use it wisely. I've finally got the help I wanted. I've improved so much, so thank you."

He was also told to pay £85 costs and an £85 victim surcharge, with the bench ordering that the claw hammer be destroyed.