A man caught with a knife in a north-east town told police he only intended to use the blade “to craft matchstick models”.
Kevin McBride had the lock knife in his trouser pocket when he was stopped on Frithside Street in Fraserburgh on Friday May 25.
The 40-year-old, of West Park in St Combs, already had previous convictions for possessing illicit weapons in public.
Nonetheless, he attempted to pass the blade-off as an innocent mistake, telling two plainclothes police officers of his whittling proficiency.
McBride’s claims did not impress the officers, who had been alerted to him by his “suspicious” demeanor.
Fiscal Katie Begg yesterday told Aberdeen Sheriff Court that McBride was “constantly looking around himself and was observed to loiter”.
She added: “He continued to constantly look around, prompting the police officers to approach him and identify themselves.
“He immediately appeared to them to be nervous.”
When the officers searched the accused, they found he had the lock knife in his front trouser pocket.
He later pleaded guilty to having “an article which had a blade” without reasonable excuse or lawful authority.
Defence agent Jennifer Pritchard, said that her client “fully accepted” being in possession of the knife but claimed he had no sinister intentions.
She said: “He bought the craft knife from a pound shop to make matchstick models,” she said.
“He would normally use it for that. He completely forgot it was in his pocket.”
Sheriff Jack Brown, however, pointed out that the accused had two prior convictions for possession of a knife and questioned whether he had forgotten about them on those occasions too.
Sentence was deferred until Friday, November 23 for the preparation of reports.
Sheriff Brown warned McBride that he would likely be sentenced to a spell behind bars at that time.
