A drunk dad drove to a Nottingham pub with a knife after his son had called him following an argument over a fruit machine.
Lee Tannahill had been drinking at home when his 18-year-old son said he had been turfed out of the Ram Inn, Mansfield Road, Redhill.
His son had taken his girlfriend out for a meal and Tannahill had suggested they go to the Ram Inn because it was, "a nice quiet pub where nothing happens".
But there was argument involving the son and someone about the gaming machine after his son, "won big", said William Bennett, mitigating.
Tannahill, who had been drinking Fosters lager at home, then got the call from his son.
When dad arrived, he was described by a witness as, "clenching his fist and clearly angry", and, "there was a big altercation between all males".
Tannahill swung towards another man but the witness was not sure the blow connected.
People were pushing each other and shouting. Tannahill, in particular, was swinging his fists a lot.
An object was seen in Tannahill's hand, and the witness believed it was a knife.
Tannahill, 45, of Milverton Road, Bestwood Park, kept the knife at his side.
Matters deescalated fairly quickly on September 11, 2021, with the defendant's son disarming his dad.
Tannahill said he had driven to the pub. The knife was already in the car after being used on the Friday to cut a cake and he grabbed the weapon at the pub as self-protection. He said he had no intention of using it.
The 45-year-old, who has previous convictions which date back to the mid-1990s, gave a breath test of 63 micrograms of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath, over the limit of 35.
Mr Bennett added: "He should never have got in the car and rung the police. He wasn't thinking straight, jumped in the car, zoomed to the pub.
"He remembers the knife was in the car by chance."
The knife had been used previously to cut a a cake at a celebration at work the day before.
"He never actually makes a motion with that knife. It is held down," said Mr Bennett.
Tannahill pleaded guilty to using threatening behaviour, drink-driving, possessing a knife. He received a six-month prison sentence, suspended for two years, with 80 hours of unpaid work and 15 rehabilitation acitivity days.
He was fined £150 for drink-driving and banned from driving for 16 months.
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