Omar Jaiteh, 34, was jailed for two years for threatening to stab his neighbour because he called the fire brigade after his smoke alarm went off.

Mohammed Murad had called the emergency services after Jaiteh had set off the fire alarm and smoke was seen coming from his flat in Norbiton Road, off Salmon Lane, in Limehouse, East London, on July 23rd, 2017.

After the firefighters had left, Jaiteh came out of his flat in Redbourne House armed with a large kitchen knife and confronted Mr. Murad. Jaiteh lunged at Mr. Murad and ran after him until a neighbour was able to calm him and get him back in his flat, Court News reports.

Jaitah was caught on camera with the knife, and was arrested later that day. He denied guilt, even despite the evidence.

During the trial, Mr. Murad told Snaresbrook Crown Court that he was frightened Jaiteh was “going to slash or stab” him. Since the incident, the victim said that he was having “trouble sleeping” and no longer “feels safe in his own home”.

The court heard how Jaiteh had mental health issues following previous drug abuse and was diagnosed with a mixed personality disorder.

The defendant was found convicted by the jury of affray and threatening another with a bladed article in April 2018.

Sentencing, Judge Martyn Zeidman QC told Jaiteh on Wednesday that: “You need to understand and remember that knives kill people.

“Those who possess them or, even worse, those who threaten others with them need to be taught an important lesson: you will go to prison for a very long time,” Mr. Zeidman said as he sentenced him to just two years in prison.

“You must decide that when you come out of prison that you will never do this again,” the judge added.

“What started as a trivial incident ended with Jaiteh threatening with a knife,” Detective Sergeant Tomasz Patzer said after the conviction. “Why Jaiteh chose to act like that is unclear—but what is clear is carrying a knife and threatening others is not acceptable.”

Under the left-wing Mayor Sadiq Khan, London has seen a rise in knife and gun crime, surging by more than 30 and 16 per cent respectively. More than 60 people have been killed in the nation’s capital this year.