Cookstown man found with knuckle dusters and machete had 'taken them from teenagers', court told
A Cookstown man found with two knuckle dusters and a 50cm machete after police stopped a car on the outskirts of the town in the early hours of the morning, was given a five-month jail sentence, suspended for two years.
Aaron Wenlock, aged 38, from Beechway, admitted charges of possessing offensive weapons and a bladed point in a public place on January 15 last.
Dungannon Magistrates Court heard that police had reason to stop an Audi car on the Dungannon Road in Cookstown at approximately 1am.
Prosecuting counsel said police noticed when Wenlock exited the vehicle he had his hand in his trouser pocket and would not remove it.
The lawyer said he began to struggle with police when they tried to search him and he was brought to the ground in a controlled manner.
She said police recovered two knuckle dusters and found a 50cm machete in the rear of the vehicle.
A defence lawyer explained that Wenlock had taken the knuckle dusters and machete from his son and other teenagers to take them off the streets.
He asked the court to take into account that the defendant has stayed out of trouble since 2014.
Passing sentence, District Judge Francis Rafferty remarked that there was nothing innocous about driving about in the early hours of the morning with these items.
He warned Wenlock that he would suspend the prison sentence on this occasion, but in all likelihood if he commtted further crimes it would result in him being jailed.