A WOMAN brandished a Stanley knife during a dispute with some young men on the top deck of a bus.

Blackburn magistrates heard Zara Khatoon was later found to have a kitchen knife concealed in her bra at the time of the incident.

Khatoon, 26, of Ashfield Road, Rochdale, pleaded guilty to two charges of possessing an offensive weapon, criminal damage to a neighbour's property and theft from Morrisons. She was sentenced to four months in prison suspended for 18 months with 30 days rehabilitation activity requirement. She was ordered to pay £700 compensation to her neighbour.

Peter Cruikshank, prosecuting, said a witness on the 152 bus from Burnley to Preston became aware of the defendant who sat at the rear of the top deck with a dog. They were clearly drunk.

A group of young men got on after them and when they came upstairs there was an exchange of words.

"The defendant said the dog would rip the young men apart and she also said she didn't need the dog to protect her," said Mr Cruickshank.

"When the males got off the bus she went to the top of the stairs and leaned over with a Stanley knife in her hand."

Mr Cruikshank said the man the defendant was with had fallen asleep at that stage.

Mr Cruikshank said the criminal damage was committed at the home of a woman who lived across the road from Khatoon in Fir Street, Nelson. She returned home to find a window in the back door had been smashed, a car window was broken and the CCTV camera had also been damaged.

The householder viewed the CCTV footage which had captured Khatoon causing the damage to the window with a brick.

"While she was doing that the victim realised the defendant was still in her property and was shouting abuse," said Mr Cruikshank.

Richard Prew, defending, said the offences had been committed in February, March and April at a time when his client was in a bad place.

"The coronavirus pandemic has delayed the case and that has given her time to come to her senses," said Mr Prew.

"She was living with a man who was abusive to her and drank too much and she was caught up in that whirlwind. She has now moved back to live with her father and totally changed her lifestyle."

Mr Prew said his client had been in possession of the Stanley knife because she was taking it to her father to cut some carpet.

"The other knife, that was concealed in her top, she had been using to cut up dog food the previous evening and she had forgotten it was there," said Mr Prew.

"There have been no further offences since April and she is now trying to gt her life back on track."