Mentally ill Brian De-Bres has been ordered to get treatment after threatening his mother and stepfather with a knife.

De-Bres, 27, of Middleton Road, Banbury, was put on probation for two years at Oxford Crown Court yesterday and told to get treatment as an in-patient at the Elms Clinic in Banbury.

De-Bres admitted affray and making threats to kill his mother, Sylvia Holdsworth, and stepfather, Paul Holdsworth, in April this year.

Paul Mitchell, prosecuting, said: "The defendant phoned on April 4, 1998, and asked his mother to come round to his address.

"She went to see him with Mr Holdsworth staying outside in the hall. Mr De-Bres became threatening and abusive to his mother, blaming her for a son of his being taken into care.

"He got up and took a knife from a box in the room. She was understandably frightened and ran out, pursued by Mr De-Bres with the knife." He said Mr Holdsworth grappled with De-Bres, who grabbed him by the throat and lunged at him, threatening to kill him.

"Mr Holdsworth grabbed the hand with the knife in it. Mr De-Bres headbutted him twice, still saying 'I'm going to kill you'. Mr Holdsworth escaped. They went immediately to the police. They were terrified."

Mr Mitchell said when the police went round to De-Bres' house they found a red-handled knife with an eight-inch serrated blade.

He said De-Bres admitted everything to police during an interview.

The recorder, Michael Challinor, sitting with two magistrates, told him: "You must understand that you have to be dealt with for serious offences." If we considered that you could not be dealt with adequately by doctors, then we would have no alternative but to send you to prison for a significant period, simply to protect people from you.

"Fortunately for you, there are those that are prepared to help you and you must do your best to co-operate with those people."

Recorder Michael Challinor said De-Bres would be an in-patient for as long as doctors deemed necessary.

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