IN a fight between two patients in a mental ward at Kidderminster Hospital, one threatened to kill the other with a sharpened matchstick, a court heard.

The threat was uttered by 40-year-old Wayne Billingsley, who had told staff earlier in the day that he had felt like murdering 52-year-old David Chitty because of gestures he made.

Jason Aris, prosecuting at Worcester Crown Court, said Mr Chitty had a cut on the back of his hand and ran out of the ward shouting "he's trying to kill me." Billingsley was alleged to have said "I told him I was going to do it."

No matchstick was found but Billingsley said he had flushed a razor blade down the toilet.

Billingsley, of Princes Drive, Worcester, pleaded guilty to wounding and was given a 12-month jail sentence suspended for two years. He must also undertake a drugs rehabilitation programme.

Michael Aspinall, mitigating, said Billingsley remembered little of the incident because he was an in-patient in Harvington ward and was receiving medication. He was already co-operating in a programme to cure his drug problem.