A Brean camper who threatened a man from a neighbouring tent with a butterfly knife after he was told to be quiet yesterday walked out of court with a suspended prison sentence.

Alexander Heaney was camping with a pal at the Diamond Farm Caravan and Camping Park when they started cooking sausages and talking in the early hours of a summer morning this year.

The 26-year-old, who works for an accountancy firm and lives in Weston Lane, Bath, was told he was being too noisy by one camper before victim, Mark Spear, who was camping with his family, went over to his tent and told him to keep the noise down too.

Mr Spear was alarmed to find Heaney holding a butterfly knife and the police were called.

Heaney was arrested and later admitted a charge of having an offensive weapon.

He was handed an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 12 months and ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.

He will also pay Mr Spear £150 compensation for disrupting his holiday.

William Hunter, prosecuting at Bristol Crown Court, said Mark Spear and his family were sleeping in their tent at the Diamond Farm Caravan and Camping Park on May 30 this year when they were woken by the defendant at 2.45am.

"There was a noise in the adjoining tent.

"Mr Spear went to the men and asked them to be quiet and saw the defendant with a knife in his hand.

"That scared Mr Spear. He asked the defendant what he had a knife for. The defendant said 'I'm not having any of this.'

"The police were called," said Mr Hunter.

In police interview Heaney said he had been using the knife to cut sausages and frightened Mr Spear with it.