A Redruth doorman was forced to defend himself with a dustbin lid shield after a former chef at Jamie Oliver’s “Fifteen” restaurant threatened to attack him with a makeshift “sword”, a court heard.

Ryan Nicholas Jacobs, of Albany Road, Redruth pleaded guilty to threatening Steven Smith, a door supervisor at the Rose Cottage Tavern, with the weapon on December 22 last year.

He had been drinking at a friend’s house for approximately six hours prior to the incident and was described as “nine out of ten on the scale of drunkenness,” by Tony Brown, from the probation service.

He turned up at the Rose Cottage despite being banned through the town’s Pub Watch Scheme and became increasingly aggressive towards door staff when he was asked to leave, Truro Magistrates’ Court heard last Thursday.

Anita Kennett, for the prosecution, said: “Because he was so drunk, his punches were missing the doorman. He was pushed away and sent on his way.”

When he returned “a while later,” he was armed with “a pole or pipe, about three feet in length – rather like a sword,” Mrs Kennett said.

“He was waving it around and Mr Smith was sufficiently concerned that he picked up a dustbin lid to use as a shield,” she added.

Jacobs, who is an asthmatic father of two that lives with his mother, was then pushed to the ground and restrained.

Robin Smith, defending the 27-year-old, said: “Prior to July of last year he had been a regular drinker at the Rose Cottage and he did genuinely think the ban he was given had expired.

“He accepts that he had been drinking rather too much at his friend’s house on this Thursday afternoon before Christmas and he thought he would stop into the Rose Cottage to renew old acquaintances.”

Mr Smith said Jacobs would “never dream of hitting anyone” with the hollow pole, “it is just something he did in a haze of drink and a fit of anger,” he added.

The court considered a community order, but did not want to adversely affect Jacobs new found employment, as a scallop fisher off the coast of Wales earning £1000 a week.

Instead, they imposed a 12 weeks prison sentence, suspended for 12 months with the condition that he does not enter any licensed premises in Redruth during that time.

“The consequence of a breach of that order banning entry would be going to prison,” said Sarah Curnow, chair of the magistrates.

Jacobs was also made subject to a 12 month drink banning order and ordered to pay £85 costs.