POLICE officers had to talk a Radcliffe man into relinquishing a knife he had been wielding against a woman in her flat, a court heard.

Alan Barlow (29), of Gingham Park, had admitted a charge of affray but the magistrates at Rochdale decided their powers of punishment were not sufficient.

Mr Eric Heywood, prosecuting, said police were called to the flat of Siobhan Power in Rochdale who had telephoned in a distressed state to say there was a man in her premises holding a knife to her throat.

Police arriving at the scene observed Barlow at a ground floor window clearly brandishing a large black-handled kitchen knife. He was in an agitated state. He indicated to the officers that he would harm the complainant if they attempted to enter the flat. The woman, who was known to the defendant, was in a distressed state.

Mr Heywood said eventually officers managed to establish a rapport with Barlow and persuaded him to relinquish the knife. He was arrested without a struggle.

The complainant had a cut to her arm.

Barlow said: "I lost it. I picked up the knife and went for her." He denied, however, assaulting the complainant.

Mr Heywood said, given the circumstances in which police had to talk a man around in dangerous circumstances plus the wielding of a knife, it was a case where sentencing at the crown court was appropriate and not by the magistrates. The bench agreed.

Defending, Mr Paul Kidd said Barlow had not caused the complainant any injury. He was a man with a long-standing alcohol problem who in the past had threatened to harm himself rather than anybody else.

Barlow will be sentenced at Bolton Crown Court on January 10, and was granted conditional bail.