A teenager who went out for a street fight armed with a knife has escaped jail – thanks to his dad.

Calvin Saward, 18, had been baited in December by former friends, who called him, asking for a scrap outside his home in Central Parade.

The youngster grabbed a knife to confront the gang – only to face his dad, who disarmed him before any fight took place and then called the police.

He was later hauled before the courts and ordered to wear an electronic tag, which he has since referred to as his "ankle Rolex" on a post on Facebook.

During the court case, the teenager's father won the praise of lawyer Phil Rowley, who said: “His dad should be commended for his behaviour.”

"People who take knives on to the street should realise the consequences could be fatal..." - Judge Heather Norton

Judge Heather Norton said the father’s action had prevented the incident from escalating.

The judge told the youth: “What you did was a very stupid act. It was not just stupid; it was also dangerous – not just to others but also to yourself.

“People who take knives on to the street should realise the consequences could be fatal. There is a lot of concern about young people arranging fights and then taking knives with them.

“I know you were confronted by a larger group, but you could have stayed inside.

“Your father’s action in taking that knife away and calling the police may have landed you in court, but probably prevented something more serious from occurring.”

Possessing a knife in public usually results in an immediate jail term, but the judge gave the teenager a community order.

She also took the unusual step of refusing to issue a destruction order for the weapon and returned the kitchen knife to the dad, who was in court.

But she ordered the youngster to stay indoors for the next four weeks between 7pm and 7am.

After the case, Saward took to Facebook to post a picture of his electronic ankle tag, which he labelled “Ankle Rolex”.

He added: “Want to pull this thing off already. Lesson learned… Don’t play with knives.”

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