A TEENAGER barricaded himself in his bedroom, repeatedly threatened to stab police officers – then claimed he’d poured petrol and would “light it up”.

Swindon magistrates this morning heard Spencer Bunce, 18, threw a glass down the stairs on Monday after an argument with his father.

Prosecutor Keith Ballinger said the teenager barricaded himself in his bedroom as police arrived at the family home in Roman Crescent, Old Town, at around 10am.

The officers called for back-up, with armed police and a negotiator also sent to the stand off in the quiet cul-de-sac on Monday morning.

Bunce made a number of threats to the police officers and could be seen at his bedroom window with what Mr Ballinger described as scissors and knives, although it later transpired he only had a screwdriver and scissors in the room.

He warned the police officers he would stab them, they “would be dead and get stabbed up”. He threatened that the first person who came into the room would be “getting neck f****d” and he would put a thousand “neck holes” in them. The young man said he had poured petrol and added he would make it “light up” if they came into the room.

The teenager was eventually arrested as police gained entry to the room. As he was detained, Bunce told one officer: “I’ll take that gun from you, shove it straight in the back of your head. I’ll blow your brains out.”

He was taken back to the police station and, while in the cells at Gablecross, threw tissue paper over the CCTV camera in his cell. When a custody sergeant came in to remove it, he was accused of lunging at the officer causing him to fear he'd be headbutted.

When he was later interviewed, Bunce denied rushing the man – instead claiming he thought it would have been funny to pretend to escape from the cell. Bunce said he’d got angry and could not remember much of what happened on Monday morning.

Defending, Emma Hillier told magistrates her client had struggled to get mental health support now he was no longer a youth. He suffered from depression, although had not been formally diagnosed.

The man’s father claimed he’d been told that potentially the only way he would be able to get his son help would be if the youngster were arrested.

He did not have a knife and had not poured petrol in his bedroom. Ms Hillier said her young client was not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Bunce, of Roman Crescent, Old Town, pleaded guilty to affray, criminal damage and assaulting an emergency worker. He had a single offence on his record of affray, committed while still a youth, and was said to be engaging well with the youth offending team.

JPs bailed Bunce to return to Swindon Magistrates’ Court for sentence on April 27 and ordered a pre-sentence report. His bail conditions require him to live at a property in Bath Road.