A MAN’S life began to unravel after he was convicted of fraud in a case which saw a police officer jailed for forging his father’s will, a court heard.

Peter Atkinson was given a suspended prison sentence at Teesside Crown Court in January last year after he admitted signing the bogus document as a witness for friend Darren Hart.

Hart, a former police officer from Darlington, was given an eight-month custodial sentence for writing a false will which left him his late father’s entire estate.

Magistrates, sitting at Newton Aycliffe, heard Atkinson’s life had been "a tale of woe" since he got caught up in the scam.

While carrying out unpaid work as part his sentence, the 28-year-old from Mickleton, near Barnard Castle, began socialising with the wrong crowd, taking drugs and accumulated drugs debt.

He tried to rebuild his life and was working in Sheffield when he suffered a heart attack forcing him to return home and the old drugs debt resurfaced.

After being threatened, Atkinson carried a knuckleduster for protection and found himself in court again after police caught him with the offensive weapon two weeks before his suspended sentence order expired.

Magistrates heard that officers saw Atkinson in a vehicle on Hall Street, Barnard Castle, in the early hours of January 4 and suspected he was under the influence of alcohol.

Vicky Wilson, prosecuting, said: “When officers spoke to him and did a roadside breath test he was quite honest and said ‘I have a knuckleduster on me’.

“It was originally bought as a belt buckle at Catterick Market and he had it with him because he had drug debts, which implies that if approached he would use it.”

Solicitor Darren Brown, mitigating, said: “His is a tale of woe. While doing unpaid work he began socialising with experienced criminals.

“He then had a nervous breakdown and lost his job so had no income. He started doing drugs which led to debts and he started receiving threats from the people he owed money to.

“He had managed to turn himself around, started rebuilding his life. He worked away in Sheffield but then suffered a heart attack, had to leave work and came home to live with his parents but the people he still owed money to were back here."

Mr Brown added: “He never threatened anyone, it (the knuckleduster) wasn’t brandished..he confessed to having it in his possession straight away.

“He has been through quite a lot but has the support of his family and has started to get himself on the right track again.”

Atkinson, of Mickleton, pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

When he appeared at Teesside Crown Court to be sentenced, he was given a three-month prison term, suspended for 18 months.