The son of a pub landlord armed himself with two knives and lunged at a drunken man spoiling for a fight.

Scaffolder Benjamin Park, 28, had been left in charge of the Tally Ho in Clyde Street, Canterbury, on the day the British Lions were playing New Zealand in July 2017.

Many people had been in the pub watching the game during the day but the row erupted towards midnight.

Leonard Scamp and friends came into the pub and became "rowdy and menacing", Canterbury Crown Court heard.

Scamp, who was stripped to the waist, then struck a boxing pose in a style a judge described as "like in a cartoon".

Prosecutor Antony Hook said the incident, in which a child was present at one point, was caught on the pub's CCTV and shown to the judge.

The court heard Scamp, who received a suspended sentence for his part in the ruckus, had demanded money from the barman.

Phil Rowley, defending, said Park, who had been left in charge of the pub in the absence of his landlord father, was upstairs when he heard the commotion.

Camera footage showed him emerging from the kitchen, where he had armed himself with two knives before lunging at Scamp.

Mr Rowley said Park then realised he had been wrong to get the weapons and replaced the kitchen knives before picking up a glass and chasing Scamp out of the pub.

The lawyer said it had been a busy day and people had been watching the rugby match in the pub.

Park had not been drinking during the day but later in the evening claimed he'd had “a couple of drinks” – although a police officer later said his speech had been slurred.

Mr Rowley said Park had been “de facto” pub landlord and deciding to drink was “ill-considered”.

He agreed with the judge that Scamp’s boxing poses were “cartoon-like” but added: “But he is a large man and was uttering threats.

“All [Park] wanted was for Scamp to leave the pub because he was making demands for money while throwing glasses.”

Judge Catherine Brown, in passing a 16-month jail sentence suspended for two years, told Park: “You got two large knives and can be seen brandishing one before lunging towards him. He left the bar and you followed him outside.”

Park, of Ashford Road, Canterbury, pleaded guilty to affray and possessing knives and was also ordered to do 250 hours of unpaid work for the community.

The judge said if it was true he had only had a couple of drinks it was clear he could not hold his drink and urged him to drink sensibly in the future.