A 26-YEAR-old Dursley man who 'behaved in a chaotic manner and went on a bit of a mini-rampage' in a Cheltenham street with a machete, has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Rickie Smith, 26, of Rangers Avenue, Dursley, pleaded guilty at Gloucester Crown Court yesterday to three counts of criminal damage between January 11 and 13 this year and possessing a knife in a public place between the same dates.

Prosecutor Greg Gordon said that at 9am on January 12, Smith was living at his mother’s home in Cheltenham.

The court was told that Smith's mother became alarmed by his behaviour after he went into the back garden and ripped the door off the shed and went inside.

Mr Gordon continued: “He emerged from the shed with an 11-inch machete and swung it into a nearby tree.

“Having seen her son with the machete, his mother calls the police. During this time Smith enters the road and is seen by a neighbour throwing objects at a bus shelter, smashing one of the glass panels.

“The neighbour then sees him take off his shirt and swing the machete around at which point the police arrive.

“The officers drew their Tasers and followed him into the back garden where he climbs onto the shed roof and starts shouting and swearing at the police.

“He then jumps from the roof of the shed into a neighbour’s garden and climbs onto the roof of an extension.

“Officers try to negotiate with Smith for him to get down.

“Smith had a length of wood with him and uses it to threatened the police before he starts throwing broken roof tiles at them. One of the police officers then ‘red dots him’ with a Taser, but doesn’t fire.”

The court was told that the police spent the next half-an-hour negotiating with him before he climbed down.

In police interview Smith stated that he wanted to die and wanted the police to shoot him.

Defending Samantha Forsyth said that Smith has the cognitive age of a six-year-old and has a number of other mental health issues.

Ms Forsyth said: “Smith’s mother feels he needs help to address his mental issues.”

Judge Timothy Rose said to Smith: “What you did on that day was extremely alarming dangerous. It seems to me you were probably having some kind of personal crisis, a breakdown perhaps.

“In behaving in a chaotic manner you went on a bit of a mini-rampage and started smashing things up, not only in your own house, but in a neighbour’s garden and in the street.

“You took hold at various times of two knives, the first being at home, not subject to any charge, but the second incident involves the machete in the street and that caused a great deal of alarm to anybody who saw you.

“You were brandishing a truly dangerous weapon and making threats at the same time.

"This is a very serious matter and would normally attract a custodial sentence.

“However we have heard that you have mental health issues and you would benefit from having some proper work done on you, rather than going to prison with none of the issues being addressed before you are released.”

The judge sentenced Smith to 10 months in prison, suspended for two years. He ordered that he attend 30 thinking skills programme days and 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

The judge subjected a restraining order not to go to his mother’s house for the next year.

He also observed that Smith didn’t have the means to pay compensation or pay court costs.