A 28-YEAR-OLD Wall Heath man who threatened a police officer with a pair of garden shears after disorder at a pub in the area has been allowed to keep his freedom.

John Rowley was seen holding the open shears above his head after officers were called to the High Street and he gestured for them to "come forward".

Rowley was agitated and was abusive to the one officer about being told he could be tasered - Gary Cook, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court.

He said that after being told to put the shears down Rowley threw them to the floor but because he continued to be threatening he had to be "forcibly restrained".

Miss Culley said Rowley, who had been drinking heavily, was spitting and kicking out at the officers, later stressed he had picked up the shears to protect himself.

Rowley of Grove Lane, Wall Heath, admitted making a threat with the shears and was given an eight-month jail term suspended for two years.

He was further placed on Supervision for a year and told he must obey a three-month curfew between the hours of 6pm and 6am.

Recorder Michael Burn told him the only thing that had saved him from an immediate spell behind bars was the fact he had finally controlled himself and put the shears down.

Laura Culley, defending, said Rowley obviously felt threatened after the earlier disorder in which a cousin had been assaulted - an incident that "was the start of what occurred".

She maintained it had never been the intention of Rowley to cause harm to anyone at the scene and he was full of remorse for his actions.