A homeless man must do 100 hours unpaid work after being caught with a knife he claimed was needed for his food.
It was found when Lukasz Sadzik was searched for drugs while near Nottingham railway station, the city's Magistrates' Court heard.
The 32-year-old had a gram of cannabis and six grams of amphetamine on Queen's Road, said Robert Carr, prosecuting. Officers then found a butterfly knife.
"He said that he needed it for bread and apples because he is homeless," said Mr Carr. But he told the court that it did not pose a risk and it had not been used to injure anyone.
Chris Saunders, for Sadzik, said that he came to the UK a decade ago and had never been in court before.
"He has a good work record, mostly warehousing work, building work, you name it; he is not too proud.
"For the last two years, he has been among a group living in tents near the Radford Road police station. The site is well known to the police.
"Police wander through it on a regular basis at any time and there is no cause for concern," said Mr Saunders.
Sadzik, who had a Polish interpreter in court, co-operated with police officers, said Mr Saunders.
He added: "The knife has not been used, threatened or injured. It has not been flicked open in any way."
Sadzik pleaded guilty to the two drug offences and having an offensive weapon in public on October 30.
He was given an eight-week prison term as well as the order to do community work and pay a £122 government surcharge.
Deputy District Judge Samantha Rastogi warned that people can expect to be sent to prison for six months for the knife offence.
"There is no suggestion that the knife was either produced or used," she added before ordering its destruction with the drugs. Sadzik receives no state benefits.
