A student who damaged a taxi with a multitool was so remorseful he had joined the Knife Aware group to encourage young people not to carry weapons, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Shuaib Ahmed acted like he was “possessed” when he shouted and swore at his victim and scratched the vehicle outside Arkwright Hall on Tumbling Hill Street, Bradford, it was stated.

Ahmed, 20, of Burnett Street, central Bradford, pleaded guilty to having an offensive weapon in a public place and using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour at 8.15pm on November 23 last year.

The court was told the taxi driver picked Ahmed and another male and a female up from Aldi at Forster Square in Bradford and took them to Arkwright Hall.

Ahmed was laughing and acting strangely on the journey and when the driver asked him politely not to slam the boot, he began shouting and swearing.

Then he pulled what the victim thought was a knife from the waistband of his trousers.

The driver jumped back into his taxi and locked the door but Ahmed banged on the vehicle, shouting: “Come on then.”

The man and woman with him tried to calm him down but he appeared to be “possessed,” the court was told.

The victim drove to the police station where blood and scratches were found on the taxi and a DNA match was made to Ahmed.

The driver was shaken up by the incident and feared going back to work.

He would also have to pay to repair the damage to his vehicle, the court was told.

Ahmed was immediately frank with the police, telling them he had a multitool with him at the time.

He had no previous convictions and pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

The court heard he was studying archaeology at the University of Bradford and working at two restaurants.

He was a married man and doing voluntary work for an environmental conservation group.

The court was also told that Ahmed was so remorseful he had joined the Knife Aware group to deter young people from carrying weapons.

Judge Jonathan Gibson sentenced him to an 18 month community order with 60 hours of unpaid work and a six-week curfew order.

He was ordered to pay his victim £150 compensation.

Judge Gibson labelled it “a very ugly incident” in which Ahmed had behaved in a foolish and aggressive manner.

But it was out of character and he had shown clear remorse.