Mansfield man risked six-month prison sentence for carrying knife and drugs
A Mansfield man who was caught with a knife and class A drugs risked being sent to prison for six months because of a previous conviction, a court has heard.
Liam Burns was stopped for driving a red Audi too fast on Jubilee Way South and officers spotted a lock knife inside the vehicle, at 7.10pm on April 25, said prosecutor Andrew Conboy.
Cannabis, cocaine and crack cocaine were also found in a search and Burns, aged 31, was driving without insurance or a licence.
The court heard he was last in trouble in May 2019 when he received a community order.
Donna Pursglove, mitigating, said a probation report gave detailed information about a troubled background.
She said his previous conviction for possessing a baseball bat was dealt with by the youth court in 2010 and there was no suggestion he was going to use the knife.
She urged magistrates to step back from activating the mandatory six-month sentence for a repeat weapons offender.
Burns lost his last job after failing a drugs test and is waiting for a benefits claim to go through, Ms Pursglove added.
He is still using cocaine and cannabis but has stopped using crack and has never accessed help from drug agencies.
Burns, of Gladstone Street, admitted possessing class A and B drugs, an offensive weapon and the driving offences on August 23.
On Tuesday he received a 26 week prison sentence, suspended for six months, with 31 rehabilitaiton days.
His driving licence was endorsed with six penalty points and he was ordered to pay £414 in costs and fines.