A teenager who threatened a police officer with a Samurai sword in Watford town centre has been sentenced.

Gary Bangs, 18, of Byewaters in Watford, appeared before St Albans Crown Court on March 5 and was sentenced to nine months in a young offenders’ institution.

He had previously pleaded guilty to assaulting an emergency worker and threatening a person with an offensive weapon in a public place.

The court heard how on January 9 this year, Bangs had been spotted on CCTV acting suspiciously and believed to be in possession of a knife.

A police officer attended the town centre and attempted to stop the teenager, who then produced a Samurai sword and threatened the constable before running off.

Bangs was arrested a short while later and officers seized the weapon which was found abandoned nearby.

PC Daniel Judge, who investigated the offence, said: "We will not tolerate knife crime on the streets of Watford and anyone carrying a weapon on their person should expect to be stopped and searched by police. Bangs showed complete disregard for the safety of the public by carrying that weapon."

Thanks to a quick-thinking CCTV operator, we were able to get to the scene, locate the weapon and remove it from our streets in order to protect the public.”