A man had to be disarmed with CS gas when he pulled out a razor in a Staines courtroom and began slashing himself after he was sentenced to jail time.

Douglas MacDonough, 36, from Acton, became aggressive after being sentenced to five months in prison for driving while disqualified and pulled out a razor blade and began slashing his wrists, arms and mouth as well as threatening members of the public.

Magistrates called police to the court, which has metal detectors and employs a strict search policy, to disarm the man on January 14 at 5pm.

A police spokesman said: “The court was quickly cleared and officers attended the scene and attempted to negotiate with MacDonough to persuade him to disarm himself, but he refused to co-operate.

“Officers then discharged CS gas to bring him under control.

“He was detained by officers and his injuries, which were superficial cuts, were treated at the scene.

“Officers continued to detain MacDonough and he was later taken to Wandsworth Prison to begin his sentence. No one else was injured in the incident.”

A spokesman from Her Majesty’s Court Service (HMCS) refused to comment on how MacDonough smuggled the blade into the court.

He said: “We are investigating the details of this incident.

“HMCS takes the issue of security within courts extremely seriously and has a rigorous system in place, including mandatory bag searches, bag scanners, metal detectors and surveillance cameras, to ensure the safety of all court users.”