A man accused of making threats while armed with “improvised nunchucks” at a Western Australian MP’s electorate office could have been holding a musical instrument, not a weapon, a court has been told.

John Lawrence Smart appeared on Thursday in the WA magistrates court, where his lawyer expressed concern for his mental health. He was not required to enter a plea.

Smart was accused of making verbal threats at the office of state Labor MP Hannah Beazley in the inner-Perth suburb of Victoria Park on Wednesday afternoon.

He was charged on Thursday with being armed in a way that may cause fear, making an unlawful threat and possessing cannabis.…