A Ramsey man has been put on probation after a row with a neighbour involving a knife and a baseball bat.

William Wesley Bolton, of Pairk Ollay, held a kitchen knife as he stood in his doorway while his neighbour who was outside his garden brandished a baseball bat.

Bolton pleaded guilty to an offence of behaviour likely to cause belief immediate unlawful violence may be used.

High Bailiff Jayne Hughes sentenced the 39-year-old to a 12-month probation order and banned him from purchasing or being sold alcohol for six months.

Prosecutor Hazel Carroon told the court how Bolton was in his front garden on July 6 at 6pm while his neighbour was washing his car outside his own house.

Bolton said that the man was staring at him so he said: ’What’s wrong? Do you want a picture?’

He then started to swear at the man as a female neighbour also arrived on the scene.

The woman said that Bolton then pulled out a knife as he stood in his doorway.

This prompted his male neighbour to go into his own porch and emerge with a baseball bat.

The woman said that there were children in the area at the time.

Bolton threw his knife into his garden but was later arrested and said to be smelling of alcohol. He told police his neighbour had come at him with the baseball bat.

But when interviewed at police headquarters he said he had no recollection of the incident, although he could provide a detailed account of what he was doing up until the incident.

The court heard that Bolton had spent 10 days on remand.

Defending Bolton, advocate Louise Cooil said that the two men lived five doors away from each other and that the incident had not taken place face to face.

A probation report said that the two men had been involved in previous minor disagreements and that Bolton was alcohol dependant at the time of the offence.

Ms Cooil said: ’The knife was only withdrawn from his pocket when he was on his doorstep. His neighbour told him to put it down and he threw it into his garden. The two men were never in close proximity.

’The complainant was at the edge of the garden. There was no threat or use of the knife.’

The advocate went on to say that Bolton had forcibly detoxed during his remand and it had been 11 years since he was last before the court.

High Bailiff Jayne Hughes said that she had taken into account Bolton’s period on remand when sentencing him and also ordered him to pay £125 prosecution costs.

He will pay the costs at a rate of £10 per week, deducted from benefits.