A 69-year-old man who was arrested with a wooden bat sticking out of his pocket during unrest in Thetford, Norfolk, has avoided jail.

Brian Thompson, of Fairfields, Thetford, pleaded guilty on Tuesday at Norwich Magistrates’ Court to possession of an offensive weapon, namely a wooden bat, in a public place, after the court heard he had gone to see what was going on because he was “curious”.

District judge Matthew Bone said the incident happened on one of three nights of anti-immigration unrest in the market town earlier this month, as homes believed to be housing asylum seekers were targeted.

He sentenced Thompson to two months in prison suspended for 12 months and ordered that he complete 100 hours of unpaid work.

Thompson was said to have had the bat in Fairfields at around 9.30pm on 5 August. The judge stated Thompson was “carrying a wooden baton but it was sticking out of his pocket”.

“He didn’t use it in any shape or form,” he said.

The judge said that police were “dealing with a significant public disorder” and a “large crowd had gathered and tensions were high” when Thompson was spotted with the bat and arrested.

He said that Thompson described the bat as a “souvenir” and accepted taking it with him was a “foolish thing to do”.

The judge added that having it with him “created a risk of further escalation”.

The judge said the bat was bought “abroad” and described it as Thompson’s “safety net because of the atmosphere he was fearing”.

He said Thompson was of previous good character. Dave Foulkes, mitigating, said Thompson “said he was curious about what was going on”.

“The house in question seems to back onto his address,” he said. He accepts he had no good reason for putting what would normally be a decorative item in his pocket. He actually approached an officer and asked what was going on.”

He said there was “no evidence he was part of the protest group”.

Mr Foulkes said Thompson’s income was the state pension.

Thompson’s bat was confiscated and he was ordered to pay £154 in costs and a victim surcharge of £85.