A 65-year-old man said he would shoot the teenager he blamed for repeated vandalism at his Hoddlesden garage compound when police failed to react to his claims, a court heard.

But Blackburn magistrates were told that police response was immediate when Vincent Kelly phoned Lancashire Constabulary control at Hutton and made the threat.

Within half an hour six armed police officers were searching his home and Kelly was in custody.

Kelly, of Carus Avenue, Hoddlesden, pleaded guilty to making a threat to kill and was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £90 costs.

The court heard that following his arrest on New Year's Eve, Kelly had been kept in custody but had refused to leave his cell to appear in court the following day.

The court convened in the police cells and after refusing to have the services of a solicitor or apply for bail Kelly was remanded in custody until the Monday.

He did not appear in court that day because he had been taken from the hospital wing at Preston prison to Royal Preston Hospital because there was concern about his health.

When he finally appeared in court the magistrates were told that he had a history of angina and four years ago had undergone a triple heart by pass. John Dewhurst, defending, said Kelly would never forget the advent of the year 2000.

"Finishing up in prison was the last thing he would have expected to happen," said Mr Dewhurst.

He told how damage had been caused to vehicles at Kelly's compound on Boxing Day, on another occasion before New Year's Eve and on New Year's Eve itself.

The matters had been reported to the police and on the last occasion Kelly had telephoned to discuss the problem with police at Darwen.

"He wanted to speak to the police but all he got was an answer machine," said Mr Dewhurst.

"By the time he got to his fifth recorded message he was angry and, rather than speak to the machine again, he went down to the police station in person."

Mr Dewhurst said Kelly was told to wait in a side room and felt he was being fobbed off.

He eventually left the police station and rang the control office at Hutton where he told the lady who answered if the police did not do something about the situation he would.

"My client recognises how stupid he has been and asks me to apologise to the court on his behalf," said Mr Dewhurst.

"The threat was made in temper and he had no intention of carrying it out.

"What he wanted was for the police to take action."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.