Two men witnessed fighting in a street with a saucepan and a knuckle duster fell out over a woman, a court heard.

One was knocked unconscious after being hit over the head with the cooking equipment, Kirklees Magistrates’ Court was told.

District Judge David Scanlon slammed their behaviour as “disgraceful.”

And he referenced a Shakespeare play, telling one of the men: “It’s not Romeo and Juliet.”

Simon Allsop, 31, of Bank View in Earlsheaton, and Ernest Dover, 35, of Lincoln Avenue in Heckmondwike, pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon in public.

Jill Seddon, prosecuting, told the Huddersfield court that both men had been involved in a relationship with the same woman previously.

On April 4 they began fighting on Lincoln Avenue in Heckmondwike, their row spilling out into a garden.

Mrs Seddon said: “Allsop picked up a metal pan and hit Dover to the head, knocking him to the ground.

“A knuckle duster was seen in the hand of Dover.

“Allsop stated that he was provoked, that he was trying to leave in a taxi and Dover squared up to him.

“He did admit that passers by would gave seen this and been frightened.”

Andy Day, mitigating for Allsop, explained that his client had reacted after being threatened with the knuckle duster.

He added: “Understanding that damage could have been caused by this, he looked for something to put the other man off.

“He picked up a brick but decided that this was far too serious.

A knuckleduster

“There was a pan in the garden, he picked this up and hit him.”

The court head that a witness saw the brass-coloured knuckle duster on Dover’s hand.

Dover claimed that he had no intention of hitting Allsop with it and used it as a paperweight after purchasing it while in America.

Robert Dawson, for Dover, said: “Both parties had been drinking and he doesn’t have a very good recollection of what happened.

“There was a dispute over a woman who both had been involved with.

“He used the knuckle duster for ornamental purpose but obviously it is more serious than a pan.”

Judge Scanlon said: “You know the play Romeo and Juliet? Well this isn’t it. It was a Saturday night at 11pm in a public street.

“You both behaved in a disgraceful way in public without concern for anybody else.”

Judge Scanlon added that the offence would say with Dover for a long time as he would now find it difficult to travel to America.

He told him: “You were out with something which, if needed, you would have used to inflict serious harm.”

Both men were sentenced to a 12-week curfew and ordered to pay £85 costs plus £30 victim surcharge.

The knuckle duster will be destroyed.