A YOUNG father who threatened a gang with a 4ft sword has been jailed for two years.

Ben Bettis, 22, said he confronted the men with a Samurai sword to protect his heavily pregnant girlfriend and their two-year-old daughter.

Bettis was arrested by police who caught him swinging the weapon aggressively in Kings Walk, near the Seabrook Rise estate in Grays, shortly before midnight on November 7.

He had been involved in a fight with the men outside a pub and went back to his flat to arm himself after they said they were coming to his home to attack him, Basildon Crown Court heard.

Peter Clark, mitigating, said Bettis was worried about the safety of his family and did not think the police would arrive in time to intervene, so he equipped himself with a sword before going outside to confront the men.

Mr Clark said Bettis was receiving treatment for mental health problems and now accepted his actions were a stupid response to the situation.

Richard Stevens, prosecuting, said trouble flared after Bettis was ejected from the White Hart pub for insulting a barmaid. He said it had led to Bettis confronting the gang with the weapon in the street and adopting a “fighting stance” before shouting: “Come on, then, you mugs.”

Mr Stevens told the court that the incident also meant Bettis had breached a suspended prison sentence he received in April last year, after admitting aggravated vehicle taking and driving with excess alcohol.

Recorder David Holborn said it was important to use the case to help the courts to reinforce the seriousness of carrying a blade in public.

He told Bettis: “You chose to take that sword out into the street and the consequences could have been tragic.”

Bettis, of New Road, Grays, admitted possessing an offensive weapon when he appeared in court.

He was sentenced to 18 months for carrying the sword, and a six-month consecutive jail term for the driving offences.

The judge also made an order for the sword to be seized and destroyed.