A man has been jailed after confessing to a police officer giving him a lift home that he had armed himself with a knife for his own protection.
William Morris, 22, was out on licence after previously serving a 40-month custodial term over a knifepoint robbery.
He pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article in public when he appeared at Kirklees Magistrates’ Court yesterday on Monday.
The court heard that the incident happened on Albion Street near Huddersfield Police Station at just after 5am yesterday (Nov 21).
Morris had gone into the police station and asked for a lift back to his home in Bromley Road, Batley.
One of the officers heading that way agreed and Morris sat in the back of his police vehicle.
Magistrates heard that he then admitted to the officer that he was in possession of a large kitchen knife, adding that he didn’t feel safe and had it for his own protection as there were people after him.
The court was told that in 2014 Morris was jailed for more than three years over a knifepoint robbery.
The 16-year-old was attacked in Lidget Street, Lindley, after he stopped to buy a can of pop at a supermarket on his way home from work.
Morris has now been recalled to prison after breaching his licence conditions.
Jonathan Slawinski, mitigating, described the incident which led to police discovering the knife as “bizarre”.
He told magistrates: “He’s approached the police station to get a lift back to Batley, one of the officers agreed to do that and Mr Morris was allowed into the rear of the police car.
“The sergeant was en route in that direction when straight away Mr Morris outlined the fact that he had a knife in his pocket because he thought he had to.”
Magistrates heard that the knife was tucked into Morris’ tracksuit bottoms and at no point was brandished or used.
Mr Slawinski added that his client had spent the majority of his young life in and out of prison and had a background of mental health problems.
Magistrates jailed him for 28 days and ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the knife.
