South Tyneside man appears in court after using fencing to fend off debtor after night of clubbing

It was then revealed he has yet to cough up past fines and costs of £4,455 from previous offending.

A drunk South Tyneside man who armed himself with fencing to confront a personal debtor has been exposed as owing thousands of pounds to the courts.

Ryan Kay, 34, jumped into a garden to pick up two bits of wood after spotting his foe with a woman at a taxi rank in South Shields town centre.

Kay, of Hatfield Square, also South Shields, moved towards them but quickly retreated during the flash-in-the-pan incident in the early hours of Sunday, June 11.

But he was seen on CCTV, and police arrested him minutes later as he sauntered away in conversation with a female.

The altercation arose because Kay had been owed cash for several months, the Probation Service told borough magistrates in a report.

However, it was then revealed he has yet to cough up past fines and costs of £4,455 from previous offending.

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Now jobless, he is paying his debt at a rate of just £5 a week, the lowest amount permitted for offenders on state benefits.

Of his offence, prosecutor Paul Anderson said: “CCTV picked up some sort of altercation in the street and police were alerted.

“The defendant went into a garden and picked up two wooden slats and crossed the road to a taxi rank where a male and a female are.

“He crosses in an aggressive manner and the male and female are fearful of being struck. He walks towards them.

“After a short period of time, he simply walks away and drops the slats at a bus shelter. Police arrive and arrest him.

“He’s taken to a police station and chooses, as is perfectly his right, to say nothing.

“There’s nothing of a similar nature on his record but there are some things on his record. There’s nothing since 2016.”

Kay pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing an offensive weapon in public.

David Forrester, defending, said: “I watched the video yesterday, waiting for something to happen, but nothing really happened.

“There’s been a discussion in a nightclub, and he’s seen going into a garden and picking up the slats.

“He picked them up because he was fearful for his own safety. He goes towards the gentleman but doesn’t go close.”

Magistrates sentenced Kay to a 12-month conditional discharge, with 15 rehabilitation days and 60 hours of unpaid work.

They ordered him to pay a £114 victim surcharge, which will be added to his existing debt, but did not impose court costs.