A MAN armed with a 3ft-long samurai sword turned up at a neighbour’s front door late at night to complain about her children’s behaviour, a court was told.

It so terrified Ellen Loveridge’s family that her 15-year-old son climbed into the loft and called police for help, said prosecutor Alex Warren.

But when Mrs Loveridge said her son had a medical condition, Tony Bicknell put down the weapon, shook her hand and gave her a hug.

He picked up the sword and was arrested at his address in nearby Dunlin Drive on the Spennells estate, Kidderminster.

Bicknell, aged 31, pleaded guilty at Worcester Crown Court to having an offensive weapon in a public place.

He also admitted harassing his father for money and trying to pervert the course of justice.

He was jailed for 30 months. Judge John Cavell also made a restraining order banning Bicknell contacting his father for an indefinite period.

Mr Warren said Bicknell had approached his father, David Bicknell, a man in his 60s suffering from Parkinson’s disease, and was given £600.

Further requests for cash were backed by threats that he would smash the windows in his father’s house, damage his car and stab his dog.

A complaint was made to police but Bicknell approached his father at a family funeral and asked him to drop proceedings.

He was arrested and was on bail when he committed the samurai sword offence a month later.

Nigel Stelling, defending, said the loss of Bicknell’s job as a furniture maker had caused him to behave in a bizarre fashion.