A MAN who walked 100 metres down a Malton street with a broken pool cue and waved it at people outside a pub, has been given a community sentence.

Members of the public fled from Petru Marian Istrati, 29, and rang police as he approached them in Yorkersgate, said David Ward, prosecuting, at York Crown Court.

Earlier in the evening he had been inside the pub before “manhandling” his girlfriend out into the street where he had attempted to head butt her, said the barrister.

The court heard he had walked 100 metres with a friend to a second pub where the other man had broken a pool cue. Each had taken half the cue and walked back to the first pub.

Istrati, of Castlegate, Malton, pleaded guilty to affray, possessing an offensive weapon in public and assault, all committed on October 7 at 11.30pm.

He was given a community order with 180 hours’ unpaid work, a six-month nightly curfew from 11pm to 4am and 30 days’ rehabilitative activities to tackle his drinking, bad temper and his treatment of women.

Istrati, who represented himself and spoke to the court through a Romanian interpreter, said he and his friend had gone back to the first pub from the second pub to try and get a drink.

He had not raised the pool cue and had not threatened anyone with it.

The girlfriend suffered bruises to her arms from when Istrati had pulled her out of the pub, said Mr Ward.

l A 21-year-old man from Malton has denied charges of affray, carrying an offensive weapon and assault connected to the incident and his case was adjourned for a trial before Scarborough magistrates later this year.