A pensioner who had to be wrestled to the ground after brandishing a pair of scissors in a court room dock injuring two people has been jailed.

Adolphous Allen, of Boileau Road in Barnes, pulled the pair of scissors from his bag while still in the dock on October 31 2012, having just been convicted of a separate offence for breach of a court order.

The 70-year-old waved the scissors at court staff and then himself while security staff attempted to reason with him.

But Allen persisted and a struggle ensued in an effort to disarm him which saw a security guard and court official receive minor injuries including a ripped elbow tendon and shoulder injury.

At one point the scissors were kicked to one side but Allen persisted in trying to retrieve them.

The assault only stopped when further security staff arrived to restrain him.

In a police interview Allen said he had wanted to get the attention of the magistrate and never intended to hurt anyone but admitted his head was "in a jumble" at the time.

Appearing at Croydon Crown Court on Wednesday, April 10, the court heard how Allen had a history of violent offending dating back to 1966 including a conviction of eight years imprisonment for attempted rape in 2002 and threatening behaviour in 2009.

Passing sentence Recorder JS Kinnear QC said the offence was so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified.

He said: "You persisted until the officers had to take physical action against you to grab your arm and stop you using the scissors against them.

"You still persisted and they had to take you to the ground in an effort to disarm you.

"You were determined in your actions.

"You were disarmed but it’s something of a miracle that someone wasn’t more seriously injured.

"It was aggravated by the fact that you planned it and that it took place in a public place, not least in a court.

"You were threatening and persistent and it required extreme physical force to restrain you."

Allen pleaded guilty to two counts of common assault and one count of possessing an offensive weapon and was sentenced to 21 months in prison.