A TAKEAWAY worker threatened a customer with a knife and a grill scraper, chasing him out of the shop, a court heard.

Zahoor Ahmed, 34, was working at the Clayton Spice takeaway on Park Lane in Clayton, in March, when he confronted a customer he believed was responsible for smashing the windows at an earlier date.

Bradford Crown Court heard how Ahmed, shouted from the kitchen, and the customer responded by threatening to get his uncle, who "might blow up your shop".

In response Ahmed first came towards the man brandishing a grill scraper, at which point the customer told him to: "Put your weapon down and fight me like a man."

Father-of-three Ahmed then picked up a kitchen knife and chased the customer out of the shop and along Park Street.

But the court heard that he did not raise the 15cm-bladed knife, simply holding it by his side.

The court was shown mobile footage of the incident which took place at around 6pm on March 1.

Ahmed, of Wellington Street, Undercliffe, pleaded guilty to threatening someone with a knife, affray and threats with a grill scraper.

He was handed a ten month prison sentence, suspended for 18 months, must carry out 200 hours of unpaid work, and complete 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days.

Judge Ahmed Nadim described the defendant as having received a "substantial amount of provocation" that night from the customer whose behaviour was "truculent".

Of the mobile phone footage, he said that everything about the customer's posture was that he was not going to leave the takeaway.

"It is in those circumstances that you picked up a knife and in effect chased him away from the shop and the area. What you did was most dangerous."

The judge continued: "Your conduct was unacceptable and unforgivable and was motivated by a desire to protect the business which you were working in, for it had been the subject of damage and attack on earlier occasions."

"You behaved in this utterly irrational and dangerous manner as a result of the unfortunate situation presented to you by the customer."

"Your reaction to that should have been to alert the authorities - not to take the law into your own hands."