Armed police swooped on Manchester Arndale when a homeless man produced a knife and told shoppers: ‘I’ll stab you for a pound’.

Bruno Kalsers was under the influence of the drug Spice when he made the bizarre threat at the busy shopping mall, a court has heard.

The 30-year-old has now been jailed for 14 months after his behaviour brought the shopping centre and surrounding area of the city centre to a standstill.

Manchester Crown Court heard how staff at Poundland had heard Kalsers ‘screaming and shouting’ outside the store in a foreign language, at around 8.50am on Tuesday, January 30.

He came into the shop with a receipt and then pulled a six inch knife from the shelves and placed it down on the counter, along with a £1 coin.

Arndale Centre
Arndale Centre

Addressing a female shop worker, Kalsers said: “I’ll stab you for a pound.”

He also made ‘slashing movements’, prosecutor Stella Massey said.

After buying the knife, Kalsers made his way to the Aldi store within the Arndale. By that point the Poundland worker had alerted security staff.

While in Aldi, Kalsers continued to make stabbing motions. He bought two tins of peas, started hacking at them and then started eating the peas with a spoon, the court heard.

Arndale security staff contacted police, and firearms officers were scrambled to the scene, where he was arrested.

Manchester Crown Court

Kalsers initially denied shouting and screaming, making slashing movements or threatening to stab anyone.

But the following day he appeared before magistrates and pleaded guilty to counts of threatening with a blade, and using threatening words or behaviour.

Kalsers, who has previous convictions for theft and battery, has remained in custody since his arrest.

He has already served six months on remand, defence barrister Clare Brocklebank said.

The court heard that Kalsers, from Latvia, was at a ‘low point’ in his life and was sleeping rough at the time of the incident.

Manchester Crown Court

The former postman, of no fixed address, suffers from depression, and his use of drugs including Spice and cannabis has had an adverse affect on his mental health, the court was told.

Judge Anthony Cross QC sentenced Kalsers to 14 months in prison.

He told the defendant: “Anybody looking at you would have realised that there was here a real risk of those people coming to harm at your hands.

Happily no one was injured and you were arrested.”