ARMED police had to detain a Southampton man who had picked up a ‘pistol’ before waving it at the public in a city high street.

With a knife in his rucksack inscribed with the words ‘used to kill if needed’ on the side, 26-year-old Dean Hiscott was waving the imitation firearm down Shirley High Street on September 17.

Southampton Magistrates Court heard how Hiscott, of Irving Road, Southampton, picked up the imitation pistol, that turned out to be a lighter ‘from outside Oxfam’ just after 8pm on the Sunday evening.

Waving it around ‘in an attempt to show off to his friends’, two people stationary in a car driving down Romsey Road saw Hiscott and phoned the police, with armed officers responding to detain him.

Prosecuting, Natalie Angel told the court that Hiscott, who is unemployed, thought the bags left outside the charity store had been abandoned, and found the imitation gun as well as a rucksack, that then turned out to contain the six-inch blade.

She said: “He found the lighter and pointed it as his friend in an attempt to show off. The two people in the car thought he had a gun and one called the police.

“He said that he wanted a new rucksack, so he removed that from the bag, and the knife was inside.

“The defendant thought he would keep it as it could be used to stop wild animals from attacking him.”

Defending Hiscott’s actions, solicitor Nick Muir said that the 26-year-old had a ‘high level of immaturity’ and that he never meant to harm anyone.

He said: “Although my client is 26 years of age, he acts a lot younger.

“He has a high level of immaturity and cannot work due to mental health issues.

“He never meant any real harm to anyone, although I am not trying to diminish the impact of this incident.”

Hiscott pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon and possession of an imitation firearm.

He was given a 16 week prison sentence suspended for 12 months and ordered to pay £340 costs.