‘I have a fork too,’ says man charged with carrying knife

A MAN charged with possession of a knife was spared jail after he produced a fork and claimed he had issues with using cutlery while eating out.

Harry Hicks, 58, was caught with a knife at the Cheltenham Festival in March last year after getting into an argument with friends.

Gloucester Crown Court heard Hicks had taken the implement because he had “issues with cleanliness of public cutlery”.

He told the court that, as a carer for his mother, the occasion was the first time he had been out in a long while. He picked up a knife and fork from his home and put it in his pocket to use during his visit to the races.

Recorder Kate Brunner QC said she accepted he took the knife “without thinking” and wanted Hicks to address his issues with the use of shared cutlery in public places.

“When I came in today I thought you would be leaving in a prison van but after hearing what you say about why you had the knife I am just persuaded to suspend the sentence,” she said.

Ms Brunner initially did not believe it was the type of knife you would use as cutlery, but accepted his explanation that he used a black-handled knife to distinguish it from the usual silver-coloured knives used in restaurants.

Nicolas Gerasimidis, prosecuting, said Hicks “was seen to reach into his pocket and pull out a knife, holding it in a way that could be threatening”.

Defending Hicks, Simon Burch said it was a situation of “drunken bravado”.

Sentencing Hicks to eight months imprisonment suspended for 12 months, the Recorder said she accepted he was giving truthful evidence and that the knife was pulled as part of a “swaggering bravado”.