Gerald Taylor , 40 , brandished a knife after being told by job centre advisors that he would lose his benefits if he did not try harder to find a job . A benefits claimant who has not worked for 25 years trashed a Job Centre and brandished a knife after being told he would lose his payments if he did n't try harder to get a job . Gerald Taylor , 40 , was locked in a 90-minute stand-off with police after being told his benefits could be axed at Fleetwood Job Centre in Lancashire . Preston Crown Court heard Taylor was 'aggressive and argumentative ' at an appointment on January 26 after advisors raised concerned about his efforts to find employment . Taylor , from South Shore , Blackpool , threatened that the centre should be torched and stormed out of the building , before returning 45 minutes later with a hammer and smashing two windows . The jobseeker , whose 59 previous convictions include burglary and arson , was disarmed by a passer-by , but later pulled out the knife as officers arrived at the scene . Harry Pepper , prosecuting , said : 'He was holding the knife to his wrist . 'When not doing that officers saw he was waving it around and demanding to speak to a Job Centre employee about his benefits . ' The court heard Taylor told police he had been out of work for 25 years due to his lengthy list of convictions and his lack of experience . David Traynor , defending , said : 'He had no funds to make phone calls to get jobs . 'In the week before this incident he had found five jobs he wanted to apply for , but had no credit or money to make those phone calls . ' Taylor was sentenced to 42 weeks in prison after pleading guilty to threatening behaviour , criminal damage and possessing a bladed article . Judge Christopher Cornwall told Taylor : 'You are a man with no self control . Taylor smashed windows with a hammer before pulling out the knife at Fleetwood Job Centre ( pictured ) in Lancashire . The jobseeker , who has 59 previous convictions , was jailed for 42 weeks at Preston Crown Court . 'If thwarted as you were , or perceived you were , you react in this wholly unacceptable way . ' The judge added his actions were a 'complete waste of police time ' 'It is a pretty remarkable feature of this case that you held however many police officers at bay for over one and a half hours - a complete waste of police time , ' he said . 'Those officers really were not to know just exactly how an unpredictable man was actually going to behave . 'Was he suddenly going to make a run at them or not ? ' A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions ( DWP ) said : 'If you are claiming Jobseekers Allowance the rules are that you have got to be available for work and actively looking for work . 'If you do n't do that you could be sanctioned . Whether his case is exceptional or not it is almost impossible to say . '
Gerald Taylor became angry after advisors said he could be axed . The 40-year - old had attended an appointment at the Job Centre . He smashed the windows with hammer and said they could be torched . Disarmed by a stand - by but then pulled out the kitchen knife . Taylor has 59 previous convictions , including for burglary and arson . He was jailed for 42 weeks after pleading guilty to threatening behaviour , criminal damage and possessing a bladed article .