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30
Aug
Teen who carried knife in Harrogate thought it ‘looked cool’, court hears
A teenager who carried a knife in Harrogate thought it “looked cool”, a court heard on Thursday (August 28).
Ben Rhodes, of Front Street in Sowerby, pleaded guilty to one offence of possessing a knife blade or sharp pointed article in a public place at Harrogate Magistrates Court.
Alison Whiteley, prosecuting, told the court North Yorkshire Police received a call from a member of the public just after 9pm on August 7.
They raised concerns about a female who was with Rhodes at the time, as the defendant had been seen with a knife.
Police went to Albert Street and the member of the public pointed officers in Rhodes’ direction.
When officers stopped and searched Rhodes, they discovered a lock knife in his possession.
The court heard the knife was found in a “locked position”, meaning the blade was out.
Rhodes, 19, confirmed the knife belonged to him.
During a police interview, Rhodes admitted to possessing the knife and said he had been with the female in Harrogate that night.
After missing a train home from Harrogate, Rhodes, who was drunk, fell over and "blacked out".
Ms Whiteley said Rhodes woke up to find two young men checking on him, but they soon "encouraged" the female to move away from the defendant.
The men were concerned for her welfare, but the defendant told them to: 'f*** ***', she added
The court heard:
The defendant said he took the knife out to protect himself.
He also said he had had the knife on him for a few months after finding it in his dad’s shed. He said he carried it everywhere.
Rhodes told the police he thought “carrying a knife looked cool”, but later described his actions as “pure stupidity”.
“He also told officers the knife was usually folded and not locked out, but the blade was fully locked out [when it was found]”, Ms Whiteley added.
As a youth, Rhodes was given a conditional caution. Under the conditions of the caution, Rhodes was required to carry out work to address knife crime.
Disputed facts
Mr Crocker, defending, told the court Rhodes was “certain some of what the police said is incorrect”.
As Ms Whiteley told the court, the police said Rhodes admitted to pulling the knife out in full.
However, Mr Crocker said his client “opened his bag so the men could see the knife”.
The magistrates deliberated on whether they would need to listen to the recording of the police interview, as Rhodes disputed the facts provided on behalf of the police, but the chair of the magistrates later told the court the bench did not feel this would make a "material difference to sentencing”.
The case was adjourned until October 10 for a pre-sentence report to be prepared, when Rhodes will return to Harrogate Magistrates Court.
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