A MAN who brandished a kitchen knife in Wrexham town centre was suffering a mental episode triggered by his addiction to gambling, a court heard.

James Fowler, 21, bought two knives with the intention of self-harming, but when police were called he ran off and threatened passers-by.

North East Wales Magistrates Court was told Fowler had been gambling on a casino’s slot machine and was left distraught after losing £100.

Prosecutor Helen Tench said Fowler had been spotted bleeding from his arm while carrying a knife at Island Green shopping centre and his movements were tracked by CCTV but he ran off from a police officer who raised his baton to arrest him.

The prosecutor said: “He was seen running towards members of the public brandishing the knife and shaking his fist. He collided with someone on Regent Street which is where the kitchen knife was retrieved.

“When he collided with another member of the public on Egerton Street he was brought down to the ground by an officer.”

Fowler was searched and another weapon, a three-inch purple bladed knife, was found in his trousers.

He was detained in an observation cell at Wrexham Police Station because he said he had bought the knives to self-harm.

He told officers he was sitting on a bench but when he saw the police he ran away.

Fowler, of Woodlands, Cefn-y-Bedd, Flintshire, pleaded guilty to threatening unlawful violence towards another person on November 3.

He also admitted two counts off possessing a bladed article, namely a lock knife and a kitchen knife in Wrexham town centre on the same date.

Magistrates committed Fowler to Mold Crown Court for sentencing on November 29.

Melissa Griffiths, defending, said Fowler’s state of mind took a turn for the worse after a visit to the Admiral Casino in Regent Street where he lost £100 on a slot machine.

She said: “He lost money on slot machines twice recently and it has caused his mental health to dip.

"On both the occasions he has self-harmed he has stayed with friends the night before and that seems to have started a cycle of gambling and self-harm.

“He bought the knives specifically to harm himself and he accepts that he ran away from the police.

“He is perfectly rational until something causes his mental health to deteriorate. This is his first brush with the criminal justice system and he has very much gone in at the deep end.”

The court was told that despite his issues, Fowler had “structure to his life” and worked as a volunteer at a charity shop in Wrexham while also helping to serve meals at a church luncheon club.

The magistrates asked for a pre-sentence report to be prepared before sentencing at the crown court and chairman David Jones told Fowler: “Going to casinos is not helpful to you – it is a loser’s game so don’t do it.”

Fowler was granted bail on the condition he resides at his parents’ address, stays out of Wrexham town except when he is accompanied to go to his voluntary work and that he abides by a 7pm to 7am curfew.