CAT walker Julian Portelli is starting six months in jail for fetching a hammer from his home after being mocked by two men.

A court heard the jobless cannabis smoker had the cat on a lead and also had a knife used for fixing computers in his pocket. Police were called to the village of Bethesda, Gwynedd, after Portelli, 31, of High Street, was attacked.

He admitted having the hammer and knife. District judge Gwyn Jones at Llandudno court said :”This was a deliberate arming of yourself with a hammer.”

But the judge said in sentencing he was bound by the view taken by magistrates previously.

Judge Jones said :”It’s quite clear that members of the public in North Wales and across the UK are rightly concerned with those who get involved in carrying unlawful weapons. One wouldn’t have anticipated that happening in a rural village such as Bethesda.”

A probation officer said Portelli appeared vulnerable and quite isolated in the community. He wasn’t fit for work due to mental health issues.

Defence solicitor Tudur Owen said Portelli had been the victim of a “sustained” attack. He urged the judge to suspend the sentence.

The prosecution said Portelli had been outside with his cat waiting for a woman to deliver his cannabis. He went home for the hammer to protect himself after being mocked and didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with his actions, it was alleged.

He’d been punched and kicked.