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A thug looked like "Edward Scissorhands" when he armed himself with two knives to confront his drug dealer, a court heard.

Michael Horncastle said he was punched by a man at The Railway in Kirkby after complaining to him about a cannabis debt.

He left a gender reveal party at the pub in Glovers Brow with his girlfriend and three children, then went back to her nearby home.

But he returned with two large knives and another item, only to be peppered with glass bottles thrown by the man and his friends.

The 39-year-old - who fled but was reported to police by an onlooker scared for the safety of his son - was arrested later that evening.

He was captured on CCTV footage clearly brandishing two blades in one hand, and what prosecutors alleged was an axe in the other.

However, brazen Horncastle tried to convince a jury that they were in fact metal poles and a hinge he found in bushes in a subway.

He claimed he only went back to the pub because he had left his wallet there and picked up the "flimsy items" to protect himself.

During a two-day trial, a jury repeatedly watched the clip of Horncastle pulling the knives out of his trousers and waving them around.

Mike Stephenson, prosecuting, told Liverpool Crown Court: "You see him brandishing the two knives in his left hand and a hatchet in his right hand, rather like Edward Scissorhands in the movie."

(Image: Getty Images)

Witness Michael Smith was sitting in his car further along the road after dropping off his nine-year-old son at a newsagents.

He told the court he saw a few men throwing bottles at a man standing in the road who had "some sort of axe and a couple of knives".

Mr Smith said he followed him and called the police to ensure his son was okay and there was no danger to the public.

Under cross-examination by John Weate, defending, he said he believed Horncastle was threatening the people throwing bottles.

Mr Smith said he thought Horncastle took the knives for an altercation and when asked why, replied: "Well he wasn't going to go armed with a spatula."

Armed police went to Horncastle's partner's home after the incident, which happened at around 6.05pm on September 29 last year.

PC Adam Cheshire said they could not find the weapons but discovered knives were missing from a block in the kitchen.

He also confirmed that Horncastle, of The Beeches, Rock Ferry, had suffered bruising to his face and cuts to his back.

When interviewed, Horncastle accepted it was him in the footage, but denied three counts of possession of a bladed article.

He said he was punched by his drug dealer, who was with a gang and called him a "Birkenheader", "Jedi" and a "ming", when he left the party and went down to a smoking area for a cigarette.

Horncastle told the jury that after they left the pub, his girlfriend received text messages saying: "Your fella is getting stabbed."

But he said he had to go back for his wallet because it contained personal documents, including his birth certificate.

Horncastle said he found "a couple of little metal poles and what looked like a hinge off a car trailer" and took them only to "distract" the men and get away.

Jurors unanimously found him guilty of two counts of possession of a bladed article, relating to the two knives.

But they were unable to reach a verdict in respect of the alleged axe and a judge ordered a formal not guilty verdict.

Horncastle was locked up as a youth for crimes including robbery and assault causing actual bodily harm.

In 2008, he was convicted of a savage attack on an innocent man he and others wrongly thought was involved in a burglary .

Peter Rice, 32, was found lying in a pool of blood with life-threatening injuries at Vittoria Court, Birkenhead on May 7, 2005.

He was hospitalised for a month after suffering swelling to his brain, a broken left cheek bone and jaw, and a broken rib.

Mr Rice died from an alcoholism-related illness ahead of the trial of Horncastle, then 27, and one of two co-accused men.

Horncastle was convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm with intent, alongside David Blackmore, and James Daord.

He received an indeterminate sentence for public protection , with a minimum of six years before he could apply for parole.

(Image: Liverpool Echo)

Mr Weate said Horncastle - now recalled on licence - had only been out of jail for around 18 months.

He said he had been about to start work for the Probation Service as a mentor for people leaving prison.

Mr Weate said because of the terms of his licence, whatever sentence the court imposed, Horncastle was likely to serve longer.

Judge Garrett Byrne said there had been "a risk of serious disorder" and jailed Horncastle for two years.

He said: "Mr Horncastle, I don't have to tell you how disgraceful this conduct was."