A SYRIAN refugee who pulled a knife on a member of the public on a town centre street has been spared jail.

Sagvan Amar threatened his victims with the blade on Bridge Street during the early hours having previously confronted them in a takeaway.

Liverpool Crown Court heard last week that Michael Noone and Liam Carters met up for drinks after their shifts working as managers in two town centre pubs on Tuesday, March 5.

At around 2.15am the following morning, the pair were in Voodoo nightclub on Friars Gate when Mr Noone went outside for a cigarette.

He then saw Amar shouting verbal abuse in Kurdish and 'behaving in an aggressive manner', waving his arms around and throwing punches.

Mr Noone and Mr Carters saw the defendant again in a takeaway on Bridge Street, where the 33-year-old was 'argumentative and aggressive'.

Amar, of Dixon Street in the town centre, told Mr Noone: "I'll wait for you outside."

When the pair left the takeaway with their food, the Syrian Kurd confronted them again.

He said: "You think you're a big man?

"You want a fight?"

Amar then pulled a three-inch gardening knife with a curved blade from his pocket and added: "You want a fight now?"

Bizarrely, he then folded the knife away and handed it to Mr Noone – who restrained his attacker with the help of Mr Carters.

Police attended the scene and arrested Amar, who was described as being 'very drunk' having consumed a 'substantial quantity of alcohol'.

Defence barrister Gareth Roberts described client, who was assisted in court by an interpreter, as a 'sad and lonely individual'.

Amar fled his home country in 2013 during the Syrian Civil War, having been shot during the conflict.

He has not seen or heard from his family since and 'does not know whether they are alive or dead', and suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mr Roberts added: "His isolation has been compounded by there being only one other Syrian Kurd in his community, and he has few friends.

"He is a rather desperate individual."

Amar, who has two previous convictions for three offences including assaulting a police officer and being drunk and disorderly, admitted making threats with a bladed article during an earlier hearing.

On Wednesday, November 27, he was handed a 16-month imprisonment suspended for two years by judge Brian Cummings.

Sentencing, judge Cummings said: "You were behaving aggressively and you challenged these members of the public to fight you – at one point, you produced a knife.

"Fortunately, you did not use the knife to inflict any injury – you in fact folded the knife and handed it to the other person.

"The carrying of a knife in a public place, particularly late at night and when under the influence of alcohol, is a matter of public concern.

"If a knife is carried then there is a risk it will be produced, and if it is produced there is a risk that someone will get hurt.

"I accept that you suffer from significant psychiatric problems as a result of the trauma you suffered before you left Syria.

"It does not justify carrying a knife.

"Nonetheless, I'm just persuaded that the appropriate way to deal with this case is by way of a suspended sentence.

"Take seriously this warning that I've given you."

Amar was also banned from entering the town centre between 7pm and 7am for a year and handed a rehabilitation activity requirement of up to 30 days.

Judge Cummings ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the knife and told the defendant to pay a victim surcharge.