Tearful man begs court not to jail him again after being caught with illegal knife at Loughborough market
A man begged magistrates not to send him to jail after he was caught with a banned knife, having already been convicted of numerous offences of violence. Several members of the public had called 999 to report that Kieran Eames, 26, was in Loughborough town centre with a folding butterfly knife.
When Leicestershire Police officers approached Eames in the town's marketplace at about 2.30pm on Wednesday, April 24, he showed them the knife, which had been in his backpack. He claimed he had it because he had been about to go camping.
Butterfly knives are illegal to own or sell in the UK, so he was arrested and charged. At Leicester Magistrates' Court on Monday he admitted possessing a blade in public.
READ MORE: Sick aunt blamed for drunken learner swerving around on road late at night
Eames, of King Street, Loughborough, had to be repeatedly asked to keep quiet after entering the courtroom. He apologised and told the magistrates: "I'm just really worried.
"I don't want to go back to prison. I'm begging you."
Prosecutor Peter Bettany told the magistrates Eames had previously been convicted of various offences of violence - including assault by beating of a police officer in May 2022 - but had never been convicted of having a knife before.
Eames's solicitor, Rachel Gaffney, told the magistrates: "He made no attempt to conceal it. He didn't brandish the weapon at anyone and he said in his police interview he didn't know it was a criminal offence to have such a weapon on his person in a public place."
Probation officer David Charlton told the court Eames had issues with drink and drugs, but had refused to speak to probation to give them more information. He added that Eames was "extremely vulnerable" and that prison would be a "dangerous place for him to be".
The chair of the bench, Elizabeth Needham, told Eames they would be giving him a suspended sentence instead of sending him to prison. She said: "You need to keep yourself out of trouble."
Eames replied: "Thank you. You won't see me again. I've been petrified for months thinking I'll be going back to jail."
Eames was given a 20-week sentence, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to pay a £154 victim surcharge.