A 63 year old man from Falmouth who said that he used a 10 inch hunting knife to decapitate and eat a rat has been fined for assaulting a police officer.

David Stanway, of Melvill Road, pleaded guilty to the assault in which he called 999 after becoming intoxicated and threatened to "chop people's heads off" before police attended his home on March 29.

He brandished a knife and officers restrained him before he told a police officer that he was trained in martial arts, and kicked at him hoping to hit him in the groin.

Stanway's defending solicitor Paul Simons talked about his client's problems with alcohol, and said that "he had fallen off the wagon."

He went on to say: "He was having some problems with people in his flat and he hit the bottle again. This is a blip, if you like. He is receiving treatment.”

Stanway has previously had trouble with the police, and in 2008 was arrested for possession of a 10 inch hunting blade and a small pen knife. At the time, he told his solicitor that he carried the knife out of habit after spending a period of time sleeping rough. Stanway told his solicitor Paul Simons that he had lived in a tent for four months and had a rat that used to visit him, and he said: "I used the knife to catch, cut his head off and have him for breakfast."

At court on Monday, Truro magistrates told Stanway: “It’s unfortunate that a man of your maturity should find himself in your position. This really is as a result of you having too much to drink. You have shown some remorse.”

He was made to pay a total of £303 for assaulting the officer; including a £138 fine, £50 compensation, a £30 victim surcharge, and £85 court costs.