TWO thugs armed themselves with a baseball bat and machete to protect one of their girlfriends.

Luke Bartlett and Charlie Wall went out in Basildon armed with the weapons after Wall received a call from his girlfriend saying someone was trying to get into her home.

She said that they “needed to sort them out”.

The duo, aged 27 and 26, went to the home in Wynters on July 13, where the perpetrator then drove his car at them.

They were not injured, but then went into the house and picked up the weapons before running out and brandishing them.

It was after this that police were called to the incident, and were told by a member of the community at the scene that two people had been wielding weapons.

Police traced Barlett and Wall back to the home and found them sleeping there, recovered the weapons and arrested them both.

Wall, of Church Road, admitted to carrying a baseball bat at the time of the incident and Bartlett, of Dickens Drive, initially admitted to carrying a weapon, which he claims was a metal bar, but later accepted it was a machete.

At Basildon Crown Court yesterday they appeared in casual clothes and did not express much emotion as the details were revealed.

Bartlett has a previous drugs conviction, having been found with more than 300 wraps of class A drugs including crack cocaine and heroin in 2016.

Mitigation for the men said they were remorseful and acted in a “stupid way” when trying to help Wall’s girlfriend.

Judge Samantha Leigh handed Wall a six month prison sentence suspended for two years and 200 hours of unpaid work.

Bartlett was handed nine months in jail due to his previous drugs convictions and for having a bladed article.

Judge Leigh told the men: “Mr Bartlett, you must get yourself sorted and away from these drugs otherwise you will keep going back to prison.

“Mr Wall, if you do not do the requirement you will be back here, and will be heading to the same place as your co-defendant.”