A man who dropped a knife into a drain cover to help conceal it from police has been sentenced after analysis of the handle matched his DNA.
Nottinghamshire Police pulled over Nathan Russell as he drove his black BMW towards Nottingham city centre on April 19 last year.
As officers were driving down Sneinton Dale and they pulled alongside Russell's car, he turned down a side street and into a dead end.
Police then searched his parked car and found nothing suspicious, until they looked into a nearby drain cover and found a locking knife on a pile of leaves.
Russell, 30, of Bromley Close, Bulwell, was then traced to the blade through DNA analysis and, despite denying it was his, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a knife.
Appearing before Nottingham Crown Court on Tuesday (August 25), he was handed a seven month prison sentence, suspended for 15 months.
The judge also handed him a curfew order until November 24, 2020 and he was fined £120, as well as being ordered to pay additional costs of £120.
Inspector Mark Stanley, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “We take knife crime incredibly seriously and simply will not tolerate people who carry them in public.
"This incident is a good example of our proactive approach to tackling this issue and should serve as a warning to those who think it’s acceptable to go out armed with a deadly weapon.
"If we catch you in possession of a dangerous weapon you will be arrested and prosecuted. It's no excuse to say it was for your own protection or you were carrying it for someone else.
"Also, as this case demonstrates, it will also be very difficult to claim it isn’t yours.
“The law is very clear if you choose to carry a weapon you put your future in danger."
