A MUM collecting her child from school was confronted by a knife wielding man.

Blackburn magistrates heard the seven year old boy was "terrified" and "hysterical" as a result of the incident outside Holy Trinity Primary School in Every Street, Burnley.

And the court was told the taxi driver who was collecting mother and son also feared for his life when Atul Tripathi turned to him and said: "Come on." The court heard Tripathi also used a racial slur.

Tripathi, 54, of Every Street, Burnley, pleaded guilty to affray, possessing of a knife in public and possession of an offensive weapon, a hammer, in public.

He was committed in custody to Burnley Crown Court to be sentenced after the magistrates ruled their powers of punishment were insufficient.

Glen Anderton, prosecuting, said the woman had collected her son and was heading back to the taxi when she saw Tripathi standing in the middle of the road with a knife in his hand.

She walked past him to get in the taxi and as she did he said; "come on then" and made a stabbing gesture towards her and her child.

He went into his house and emerged with a hammer in his hand.

Mr Anderton said Tripathi had been diagnosed schizophrenic and against that background the crown prosecution service was concerned there was no indication as to why Tripathi had behaved in the way he did.

Daniel Fraser, defending, said his client had not targeted the mother and child but accepted they would have been upset by his behaviour.

"He has personal difficulties and on the day of this incident things just got on top of him," said Mr Fraser.

"It wasn't his intention to shout at the woman and her child although he accepts they may have perceived that."

Mr Fraser said his client wasn't going towards the school.

"It is just unfortunate that when he had this episode he was were he was," said Mr Fraser.