TWO men armed themselves with weapons after being faced with the drunken son of a former police officer in March town centre.

One man carried a brick and the other had a sock containing something heavy, Fenland magistrates were told.

They had earlier encountered Jonathan Tulip, who was caught on CCTV as he caused a rumpus when he left Cassanos night club.

“He was abusive and aggressive towards the public at large,” said prosecutor Emma Duckett. “His behaviour was indiscriminate.”

The court watched 30-minutes of CCTV footage that showed 27-year-old Tulip grab an unknown man by the throat, before he was dragged away by friends.

“Time and time again you can see the defendant being ushered away by friends,” added Miss Duckett.

When Tulip met another man in the town, he lunged at his victim, grabbing him by the throat, and again he was restrained by friends.

“Things then became more serious, one man returned to the scene with a brick behind his back, and another had a sock with something heavy in it,” she said. “The defendant wanted to continue with the altercation.”

An under cover police officer arrived, and called for uniformed officers to attend the scene.

Tulip was abusive to officers, and after he pushed a sergeant he was sprayed with incapacitant.

Mitigating, solicitor Roger Glazebrook said Tulip had acted out of character.

“He came to March because one of his friends had a birthday, clearly he could not hold his drink.

“While he was in Cassanos there was an argument, and he was threatened. He came out and was threatened by a group of people, he felt he was in danger, and that upset him.”

Tulip, of Laburnum Avenue, Yaxley, admitted affray and was ordered to carry out 240 hours of unpaid work, and pay �80 compensation and �85 costs.

“No one goes to work to be assaulted, your father will know that better than most,” he was told by presiding magistrate Alan Jones.