A COCKTAIL of prescription drugs led a man to believe someone was in his house so he made his neighbour call the police while he searched for him with a knife.

Alexander Till was found in St Andrew's Green, in Kidderminster, by a police officer at 11:30pm who was called by his neighbour, holding a carving knife on April 21, after he was convinced there was an intruder in his house.

Mark Soper, prosecuting, said the 24-year-old defendant had asked the neighbour to call the police.

"Officers were asked to go to St Andrew's Green as one of the neighbours had called the police as Till knocked on their door saying someone was in this house.

"Police arrive and he saw Mr Till standing with the knife in his hand. He approached the police vehicle and the officer wanted to deploy his police dog.

"He was shouting at him to drop the knife - he did."

While the officer was trying to kick the knife away from the defendant along the floor, the police dog bit Till and he had to go to hospital with a minor injury.

In interview, Mr Soper said Till believed someone was in his house and had accepted he had disturbed his neighbour.

In mitigation, Gary Harper said the defendant was taking a mixture of prescription medications, including morphine and steroids, for Crohn's disease and arthritis and this had led to paranoia.

"He has some issues with prescription drugs and as a result he had become a little paranoid and genuinely believed someone was in the house," Mr Harper said. "He spoke to the neighbour and asked him to call the police."

Till, of St Andrew's Green, pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article in a public place when he appeared at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday, May 21.

Because the mitigation was so strong, the magistrates moved outside of their guidelines, which indicated a medium-level community order should be an appropriate punishment, and include sentenced him to a four-week community order with a four-week curfew between 7pm and 7am. He was also ordered to pay £85 in prosecution costs, £150 in court costs, and a £60 victim surcharge.