An irate Worksop man who chased his enemy along a town centre street while armed with a knife and threatening to kill him left passersby in fear, a court has heard.

Ian Nunn followed the man with a six-inch blade while shouting, "I'll f****** kill you. I'll slit your f****** throat,” at 2pm on March 7, said Becky Allsop, prosecuting.

One witness called 999 after seeing the man hit Nunn with a stick while the pair yelled at each other.

A young woman with two children appeared frightened and was looking over her shoulder as Nunn, who “looked as if he wanted a fight”, followed the man towards the canal.

Mansfield Magistrates court, Rosemary Street.

placeholder image — Mansfield Magistrates court, Rosemary Street.

Nunn later told police he had been watching TV when the man banged on his window.

When he confronted him, the man spat in his face and hit him with a piece of wood.

"He kept coming back with a stick saying I'll kill you,” Nunn told police. “He started to film me saying, “I know where you live. You're getting it.””

Morgan Hogarth, mitigating, said Nunn, of previous good character, is unable to work because of a chronic condition and suffers from depression and anxiety.

“He can't recall grabbing the knife,” he said. “He lost his temper and pursued the other man before coming to his senses. He deserves full credit for his early guilty pleas.”

Nunn, aged 48, of Eastgate, Worksop, admitted affray and possession of a knife when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

He received a 12 month sentence, suspended for two years.

He was ordered to pay a £187 surcharge and £85 costs.