A 23-year-old man who pulled out a knife outside Laxey Co-op after a row over a dog has been jailed for 10 months.

Dillon Frazer Cowie admitted threatening behaviour and was already on a suspended sentence when he committed the offence.

Magistrates jailed him for four months for the latest offence and activated six months from a 12-month sentence which had previously been suspended.

The sentences will run consecutively.

Prosecuting advocate James Robinson told the court that Cowie was on Peel Promenade on June 6 at 2.45pm.

He said that he saw a man hitting a dog so he had challenged him about it which resulted in the two men arguing.

Cowie, who lives at Marathon Drive in Douglas, was encouraged to leave the scene by a woman he was with and did so.

However, later that day, at 7.35pm, Cowie was in the Co-op in Laxey when he ran into the same man.

Cowie was said to have started talking about the incident again which resulted in another verbal exchange as the man said he had only tapped the dog on the nose.

The argument continued outside the Co-op but Cowie was dragged away by the woman again to their car.

However, as the other man walked past with a woman, Cowie was said to have said: ‘I’ll take you both on. I’ll punch you both.’

He then took a knife with a six-inch blade out of the car and walked towards them saying: ‘I’ll give you some of this.’

Police were called and Cowie left the scene. Witnesses said they saw him brandishing a knife.

On June 6, Cowie went to police headquarters voluntarily and was subsequently arrested.

His house was searched but the knife was not found.

When interviewed, he handed in a prepared statement saying that the other man had approached his vehicle in a threatening manner.

Cowie said that he had stamped his foot on the ground to get him to leave but denied having any knife.

He then answered ‘no comment’ to all questions.

A second charge, of possessing an offensive weapon, was dismissed after the prosecution said they were satisfied the threatening behaviour charge covered the incident.

The court heard that Cowie was given a 12-month sentence in January, suspended for two years, imposed for assaulting a police officer, common assault, and possessing an offensive weapon.

Defence advocate Paul Rodgers said that his client had already served 36 days in custody while on remand.

Mr Rodgers asked magistrates to give Cowie ‘one final chance’ and to impose a lengthy community service order.

The advocate said that his client’s partner was due to give birth in December and asked the court to consider her article eight human rights.

Mr Rodgers said: ‘He has been out of trouble since June. This incident was a blip. He’s an animal lover and he took issue with a dog being punched, that’s how he perceived it.

‘It was an incredibly chance encounter. It was a jokey interaction at first, but then became heated.

‘He took the knife out and showed it. It happened very quickly. The phrase ‘brandished’ can be in many different contexts.

‘It was shown perhaps rather than brandished, but we accept the facts.’

The advocate went on to say that custody would have a devastating effect on Cowie’s partner as he supported her.

Magistrates chair David Nash said that no reason could be found not to activate part of the suspended sentence.

He told Cowie: ‘The knife may not have been brandished but it was visible to the public.’