Jail warning for man found with knife and baton

A DISTRICT Court judge warned a man that he would jail him if he is ever caught with weapons again, after the defendant pleaded guilty to the possession of a butterfly knife and a baton.

“These are weapons designed to cause harm,” Judge David Waters remarked in the case of Bernard Potempski, 13 Beechgrove, Cahirdown, Listowel at district court in the North Kerry town on Thursday.

Gardaí told the court that officers and detectives noticed a car pull out of a line of traffic waiting at a checkpoint they were operating in Listowel on March 28, 2017.

The car travelled into the centre of Listowel where it was stopped by gardaí. Officers searched the car under the provisions of the Misuse of Drugs Act, finding a butterfly knife and a 25 inch long ‘ ASP-style’ baton in a panel in the door of the car.

Gardaí said that Mr Potempski told them the weapons were for his own ‘protection’.

Solicitor Karen Carmody told the Court that her client ‘just says that he had them [the weapons] in his car for protection, but he could not give a reason why’. Ms Carmody said there was no particular feud background to the case. Her client had the sum of €1,000 ready in court - the amount he was ordered to pay at a previous hearing of the case in October last. Ms Carmody said her client would be anxious to avoid a conviction.

“Not with these kind of weapons,” Judge Waters said.

“If he found himself in a situation where there was violence does it mean that he would have intended using them?

“These are weapons designed to cause harm. This is not a working knife, it’s a butterfly knife - there for one reason only,” Judge Waters remarked, indicating he would deal with the matter by way of a fine.

The Judge imposed a fine of €200 on each charge, warning of only one outcome in the event of any repeat of the offence: “If he’s caught again carrying around weapons like that he will receive a custodial sentence.”