A STOURBRIDGE woman who held a knife to a man's throat in a town centre pizza shop after they argued about his scary tattoo has been allowed to keep her freedom.

But Recorder David Mason QC at Wolverhampton Crown Court warned 35-year-old Marie Johnson she would go straight into custody if she was ever caught again carrying a knife.

He told Johnson, who had a previous conviction involving the possession of a knife: "For heaven's sake don't put any weapon in your handbag when you go out or you will go to prison for a long time."

Johnson was in the Molianas pizza shop in Market Street when she got involved in a dispute about the man's tattoo.

He then felt pressure on his neck and saw Johnson had a knife in her hand having removed the weapon from her handbag - Dean Easthope, prosecuting, said.

The victim was left with a mark on the left side of his neck, he told the court, with Johnson being disarmed at the scene.

Johnson, of Mamble Road, Wollaston, admitted common assault and making a threat with a knife and she was given a 12-month jail term, suspended for two years

The Recorder said she had a prolific nature for carrying a knife but having read her pre-sentence report he was just able to avoid sending her straight to prison.

He said Johnson had significant troubles in her recent history, adding: "That led you to be aggressive with a man who was very much minding his own business."

The knife, he went on, was taken from Johnson but he warned she could have been facing far more serious charges.

Seamran Sidhu, defending, said Johnson had been the victim of violence herself in the past and that was why she had made the decision to arm herself with the weapon.

Johnson, who was further told she must obey a three-month curfew between the hours of 8pm and 6am, had also failed to take her medication, said Miss Sidhu, and that resulted in her acting impulsively.