A HOMELESS man was so desperate for help that he walked into a police station with a knife to get himself arrested.

Philip Neal, 60, of no fixed address, went into Clacton police station on September 16 with the weapon, Chelmsford Crown Court heard.

It was the second time he had pulled off the stunt in a bid to get sent to prison.

He admitted possessing an offensive weapon and was remanded into custody to be sentenced next month.

Neal, who had a triple heart bypass in June, claims he is “dying” on the streets of Clacton and cannot get help.

The court heard surgeries had refused him treatment despite his health problems and he had lost his temporary accommodation.

Judge Christopher Ball QC said the defendant had succeeded in getting himself off the streets and into jail, but said that was not what prisons were for.

In 2012, officers in Clacton refused to arrest Neal, so he bought a knife from the 99p Store and went back to the police station where he was put into custody.