A former member of the armed forces who was carrying a machete in his trousers has been fined £1,400.

Benjamin Lyons showed it to a couple after he complained about their car lights shining into his property.

Thirty-one-year-old Lyons pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon and threatening behaviour and was also ordered to pay £125 prosecution costs.

Prosecuting advocate Rachael Braidwood told the court that Lyons was at his home at Oakhill Court, Douglas, on July 7 at 11pm.

He was said to have become angry after hearing banging doors and came outside.

He saw a woman and was said to have told her: ‘I’ve had a few beers and I’m looking to start on someone. There’s been a lot of banging doors.’

The woman said he then calmed down and went back inside.

However, at midnight, the woman was sitting in a car outside with a male when Lyons approached their vehicle.

He told them that their headlights were shining into his property and that it was affecting his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which he had from being in the military.

The couple apologised and said that Lyons appeared to calm down.

However, he then lifted his jumper and showed them the handle of a machete which was tucked into his trousers.

He said: ‘I don’t mean to sound like a hard man but I carry a machete.’

Lyons told them that he carried it for protection.

The man and woman wound up their window and left.

Lyons was arrested and during an interview, told police he had drunk a significant amount of alcohol and his judgement had been impaired.

He admitted carrying the machete but said he had no intent to use it.

Ms Braidwood said that there had been no evidence that Lyons suffered from PTSD, but that he had been assaulted in the past and was afraid it might happen again.

Defence advocate James Peterson said: ‘On paper it perhaps does look quite severe but there are mitigating circumstances.

‘Mr Lyons would like to say he’s deeply apologetic for the distress he caused. It was never his intention for these people to be distressed in the way they were.’

Mr Peterson said that Lyons had been out drinking earlier and had then gone out for a cigarette when he first encountered the woman.

Lyons said he could not recall any comment about ‘looking to start on someone’, but had then become quite worried when he saw the lights shining in for a significant period of time, as he had been attacked in the past.

‘He decided to go outside and ask the people why they were there. Foolishly, out of concern, he decided to place the knife under his trousers,’ said the advocate.

‘He approached the vehicle, and it was very much at this point he realised he’d made a huge mistake.

‘He did lift up his jumper and show the handle. He was intending to show he wasn’t a threat.

‘At no point did he get the knife out.’

Mr Peterson said that Lyons had been moving in with his partner but she had now decided against this as a result of the incident.

Deputy High Bailiff James Brooks told Lyons: ‘We are fortunate on the island we have very few incidents involving knives.

‘There needs to be a deterrent. The risk is, when somebody carries a weapon, things escalate and someone uses it.’

Lyons will pay the fine and costs at a rate of £70 per month.