A vulnerable man armed himself with a knife because he was worried he may be attacked after a domestic dispute.
Andrew Levick was found with the open knife in his pocket when police were called to the street where he lives in Holsworthy by worried neighbours.
He took the knife with him for protection and was unable to close it because he has a disability in one arm, Exeter Crown Court was told.
Levick is also vulnerable because he suffered serious burns in a fire as a child which have left him with prominent scarring on his face.
He was told he will not face an immediate jail sentence after his case was adjourned for a probation report by Judge Francis Gilbert, QC.
Levick, aged 26, of North Road, Holsworthy, admitted having a bladed article in the street outside his home in March this year.
Miss Emily Cook, defending, said he had gone to see a woman and taken the knife for his own protection.
She said:"He had received abuse and threats and felt vulnerable as he only has the use of one hand. He could not get the knife to close. Police found it in his pocket.
"He was suffering anxiety at the time and is a vulnerable individual because of the physical effects of a fire when he was a baby."
Judge Gilbert said he would pass a suspended sentence, even though witnesses had seen Levick with the knife open and out of his pocket.
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