A drunk man who brandished a machete and threatened to “chop up” his former partner at a caravan park near Stowmarket has been given a suspended prison sentence.

Sentencing Mark Oakley, Recorder William Hansen said: “I have no doubt at all it was a terrifying for your ex partner.”

Peter Clark, prosecuting at Ipswich Crown Court, said Oakley went to the Paddocks caravan park in Mendlesham Road, Brockford at around 7pm on April 27 and had with him a 3ft-long machete or long sword.

He had shouted abuse at his former partner and told her: “I’m going to smash you up and chop you up."

She hid on the floor of the caravan while she called the police.

The incident lasted about 20 minutes and Oakley was later detained by police at a car wash.

He appeared to have been drinking and a breath test showed he was three times the drink drive limit, with 116 milligrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The legal limit is 35mgs.

Oakley, 54, of Two Ways Caravan, Wattisfield, admitted affray and drink-driving.

He was given an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for two years.

He was also ordered to do 100 hours unpaid work and given a 25-day rehabilitation activity requirement and a 120-day alcohol abstinence and monitoring requirement.

He was also ordered to take part in a building better relationships programme and banned from contacting his former partner for two years.

Jude Durr, for Oakley, accepted the case crossed the custody threshold but urged the court to pass a suspended sentence.

He said Oakley had been in custody for two and a half months, which was the equivalent of a five-month sentence.

He said Oakley had been in a long-standing relationship with the victim and, on his release from custody, he was going to live with his son.

The court heard that Oakley had not committed any offences since 1991.