A MENTAL health nurse who threatened his wife with an axe has escaped an immediate jail term.

Tanyaradzwa Mhangami had sent his partner threatening messages while on a night shift before he arrived home and they continued to row while sitting in her car.

The 39-year-old continued to be aggressive towards her, told her not to mess with him and even referenced a case he had heard in the news where a man had killed his spouse.

They both went inside their home in Clay Pitts, Braintree, and Mhangami armed himself with an axe and chillingly asked his wife ‘you don’t want me to use this on you, do you?’

Fearing for her life, she left the house and called the police.

Mhangami was spotted in an upstairs window with the axe and then appeared at the back of the house wearing just his boxer shorts and told officers to get out of the garden.

He was then spotted with a six-inch knife and refused to put it down when directed to by the police.

Officers then decided to ram their way into the home and Tasered Mhangami when he refused to drop the knife.

When he recovered from being stunned Mhangami was aggressive towards officers, kicking out them at the home and when they went to Colchester Hospital where he also spat at one constable.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard Mhangami had no previous convictions and had taken too much of his anti-depressant medication at the time of the incident in August and his own mental health situation had reached a crisis point.

He plans to report himself to the Nursing and Midwifery Council.

Judge Christopher Morgan handed him a two year jail sentence suspended for two years after he admitted affray and three assaults on emergency workers.

He said: “During this incident two weapons were produced.

“This is a situation which clearly could have escalated further than it did and when police arrived at the premises you had to be Tasered.

“It is unforgiveable to spit and last out at police in the way that you did.

“Be under no illusion if you commit any similar offences where you produce weapons you will got to prison for a significant period of time.”

Mhangami must also attend 30 rehabilitation days in the next two years, undertake the Building Better Relationships programme and do 120 hours of unpaid work.

He is also banned from going back to the address for a year.