A NEWTON Abbot man grieving for his father brandished a knife at neighbours, a court heard.

Daniel Carpenter, 20, admitted affray at Exeter Crown Court yesterday.

The court heard he threatened to burn the house down of one neighbour in Deer Park Road before heading off to another in Bladon Close armed with an eight-inch kitchen knife.

Carpenter, who now lives in Silverwood Avenue, Newton Abbot, was sentenced to a community order with a two-year supervision requirement.

Judge Graham Cottle told him: "I think the less said about the offences the better.

"It is quite clear that you have never offended before and I don't think you will ever offend again unless you let the drink get the better of you.

"I am not in any way condoning what you did but it is plain to see why you did it and the right course of action is help rather than punishment."

Neighbours said their problems with the defendant started after the death of his father at Christmas, 2008.

Prosecutor Nigel Wraith told the court that on October 9, Carpenter approached a neighbour's house and when she told him to stop pestering her, he threatened to force her family from their home by burning it down.

She took the threat so seriously that she told police that she was going to block up her letter box.

Then 25 minutes later, Carpenter approached other neighbours who had been trying to help him cope with his bereavement.

Mr Wraith told the court: "Carpenter was aggressive and began shouting 'I'm going to get you, you'll see'.

"Then he was seen standing by the kitchen window waving a kitchen knife with an eight-inch blade. He was gesturing it, drawing it across his neck," said Mr Wraith.

Carpenter said in police interview: "I know what I did was wrong. If I wanted to I would have gone in there and cut them up."

The court heard that Carpenter was drinking heavily at the time as he struggled to cope with his bereavement.

But he had since stopped drinking heavily and had the support of his family.

The defendant said of himself in a statement: "I allowed myself to get to an extreme state. I didn't ask for help. I took it all out on others which was wrong."