ANGRY and bitter at being taken off a course, a man went into Pershore Jobcentre and during an argument with the manageress produced a kitchen knife and waved it in her face.

Vincent Hayes, aged 38, of Monks Close, Pershore, pleaded not guilty at Evesham court last Friday to using threatening behaviour on July 24, but magistrates rejected his claim that he only intended using the knife on himself.

A pre-sentence report was ordered and Hayes was bailed to return to court on February 15 for sentence. A condition of his bail was not to go into Pershore Jobcentre.

Helen Cook, manageress at Pershore Jobcentre at the time, said she intervened when Hayes was shouting at another member of staff, waved his arms about and threw a telephone across the desk.

"He produced a small vegetable knife from his trouser pocket and held it quite close to my face," she said.

"He was complaining about being taken off the course and said if I didn't sort it out he would use the knife.

"He was waving the knife in the air 12 or 18 inches away from my face and then put it to his wrist. I shouted at him to leave, he put the knife in his pocket and walked out. I was very shaken, very scared," she said.

Hayes told the court he was shocked when he got a letter telling him his name had been removed from the course and went to the Jobcentre to try and find out why as it had come as a body blow.

He agreed he got into an argument and raised his voice but denied throwing the telephone, only banging the receiver down.

"I took the knife from my trouser pocket and put it to my wrist because I wanted to do away with myself. I didn't want to live any more," he said.

"I accept producing the knife would have caused concern, but I didn't intend to hurt anyone or say that I was going to hurt them. When I said I was going to use the knife, it was only on myself. I did not deliberately wave the knife at anyone or threaten anyone."