Pit bull dog and knife wielding owner tasered by police in Harehills Leeds Crown Court told

The dog's owner - who was high on alcohol and a cocktail of drugs - was sprayed twice with incapacitant spray and tasered three times before he was subdued, Leeds Crown Court heard.

Prosecutor, Vince Barnard, said police were called to 46-year-old Paul Rigby's home on Roberts Avenue, Harehills, at around 5am on March 18.

Officers spotted Rigby stood at a window holding his two pit bull dogs and later saw him holding a knife as he made threats through the window.

The court heard Rigby then started to climb out of the window before helping his dogs through it.

Mr Barnard said one police officer used incapacitant spray on Rigby and heard him say "I will stab you."

The two pit bull dogs ran at the gate outside the house before Rigby opened the gate to allow the dogs to go towards the police officers.

Mr Barnard said: "The officer feared he was going to be attacked and employed his taser at the dog."

Rigby, who was holding the second pit bull,was waving a large kitchen knife and making threats to another police officer at the scene.

The officer tasered Rigby and used incapacitant spray on him, but Rigby was still waving the knife and approaching police.

Mr Barnard said Rigby was tasered for a second and a third time before he was incapacitated.

Rigby, of Roberts Avenue, Harehills, admitted making threats with a bladed article and a section four public order offence in connection with using the dogs to threaten police..

Rigby has previous convictions for possessing a knife in a public place, damaging property and handling stolen goods.

Richard Reed, mitigating, said: He bitterly regrets this incident. His recollection of it is poor.

"He accepts he had taken crack cocaine. He had also had cannabis and alcohol and also Temazepam tablets mixed with that as well. He was behaving in an irrational manner.

"He tells me he has been trying to seek help through Forward Leeds."

Mr Reed said Rigby has a history of suffering anxiety and depression and has been receiving help with his mental health for a number of years.

Jailing Rigby for 12 months, Judge Geoffrey Marson QC told him: "The courts have a duty to protect police from threats such as this."