A man who admitted possessing a “large kitchen knife” at Annesborough Road in Lurgan, claimed he had acted as a “good citizen” by removing it from “somebody at a party”.
However, a judge told Ryan O’Connor (29), of Willow Field Crescent in Craigavon, the defendant’s record did not indicate he was a “good citizen” and handed down a suspended jail term.
The defendant admitted a charge of having a knife in public ‘without good reason or lawful authority’ on January 25 this year.
A prosecutor said it was a “large kitchen knife” with a blade of “approximately six to eight inches long”.
A defence lawyer said the defendant had “taken this knife off somebody else at a party”.
He said the defendant accepts he should have immediately phoned police once he had taken the knife.
Deputy District Judge Gerard Trainor asked the defence: “Do you mean he was trying to act as a good citizen?”
Defence said that was the case put forward.
The judge said the defendant’s record did not indicate “that he is a good citizen”.
The judge said the only thing that could be said in the defendant’s favour was that he didn’t have “any history of violence”.
Judge Trainor handed down a two months jail term, suspended for two years, and told the defendant: “This is a very serious offence. You are found in public with a prohibited weapon which has an eight inch blade.”
