A MAN has been found guilty of threatening staff at a Weymouth double glazing firm.

Steven Maurice Faizey, 37, was convicted on a charge of affray following a trial at Dorchester Crown Court but was found not guilty of possessing a knife.

He was accused of making threats to staff at the Windowman shop in Abbotsbury Road on February 3 after he was upset at the work they had done on his conservatory.

Salesmen Nathan Moore and Dean Richards claimed Faizey had pulled out a knife and stabbed a computer screen as well as a chair Mr Moore was hiding behind.

Faizey, of Trenchard Way, Chickerell, told the jury he has used a pair of nail cutters in self defence to keep the staff at bay.

In his closing speech to the jury Tim Shorter, representing Faizey, told the jury that it was perfectly plausible that the staff and other witnesses at the shop had mistaken the nail cutters for a knife.

He said: “Members of the jury, what they saw is a shiny metal object in the hands of a gentleman they thought was angry.

“It would be natural to assume what they think they saw was a knife.”

After just over an hour the jury delivered its verdict of guilty on the affray charge and not guilty on the possession of the knife.

The case was adjourned for a pre-sentence report and Faizey was released on conditional bail until he is sentenced at Bournemouth Crown Court on November 11.

Judge James Meston warned Faizey that he could still receive a prison sentence for the charge of affray.

He said: “I wish to make it clear that all sentencing options are open.”

Mr Moore and Mr Richards, who told jurors at the trial they believed Faizey had a knife, spoke to the Echo shortly after the incident and told of the terrifying experience.

Mr Moore said he was agreeing an appointment to visit the man’s house and look at a condensation problem in his conservatory when the ordeal began.

He said: “It was frightening. Dean said: ‘What are you doing’ and the man angrily started shouting back: ‘What am I doing?’ and this is when it changed. I was scared for my life.”

Mr Richards said he ran into the back office of the shop.

He added: “At the time I was absolutely terrified and just shocked.