A Royal Wootton Bassett man has been sentenced to six-months imprisonment after he threatened people with a knife in Calne town centre.

Connor Kirkley, aged 21, of Eveleigh Road, was sentenced at Swindon Crown Court on Friday after pleading guilty to possession of a knife and Section 4 Public Order offence.

The incident happened on October 27. Kirkley was hanging around the car park near the Strand in Calne when he approached a number of people walking past and allegedly offered them drugs. When they refused, he became aggressive towards them, while holding a knife in his hand.

Several members of the public reported Kirkley at the time, giving a detailed description, which enabled officers to swiftly arrest him and recover the knife.

PC Mark Simpson, of the Community Policing Team, said: “I would like to thank the witnesses who came forward and made statements to the police, without which, the outcome may have been very different.

“The detailed descriptions given by witnesses meant we were able to arrest Kirkley quickly, and ensure nobody came to any harm.

“Fortunately, incidents like this are very rare in Calne and we take reports of this nature very seriously. The sentence handed down to Kirkly reflects the seriousness of his actions on that day.”

Kirkley must also pay a victim surcharge of £115.