A YOUTH caught in the street with a carving knife was put behind bars for six months today.

Joshua Kavanagh had taken out the knife, which had an eight inch blade, after "he saw red" because of money problems with a friend since childhood.

He was heard saying that he was going to kill the man, but by the time he reached the top of his street another friend had wisely calmed him down and Kavanagh was returning home when the police arrived on the scene.

Officers told him to stand still but he kept walking towards them and one of them, who found himself hemmed in between a car and a wall, finally lunged at him knocking him to the ground and disarming him.

Sentencing him to six months detention Judge Robert Trevor-Jones said: "All too often people are prepared to go onto the streets arming themselves with lethal weapons, which is what a knife is."

He told 18-year-old Kavanagh that there was no justification for carrying a knife on the street though fortunately he had turned on his heels and was heading home when the police arrived.

"If it had not been for the intervention of your friend who knows what would have happened when you reached your destination of the friend you had the disagreement with," he said.

Kavanagh, of Charlotte Road, Liscard, Wallasey, pleaded guilty at Liverpool Crown Court to possessing an article with a blade.

Neil Howard, defending, said that Kavanagh had "seen red" over the money dispute with his friend. "He then made a tremendous error of judgement".

He added that Kavanagh, who hopes to study dance at university, realises he has an anger problem which needs to be addressed.