Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Lanarkshire Live

'Unlucky' Larkhall knife offender spared jail

A knife offender who claimed he was just unlucky has been spared a prison sentence.

When Steven Clelland was caught with a blade he told police officers he'd found it and was about to put it in a bin.

His plea didn't prevent him being charged with carrying a bladed item in public without reasonable excuse.

Clelland, 48, appeared for sentence at Hamilton Sheriff Court on Friday.

He admitted having a knife in Union Street, Larkhall, on May 19 while the subject of two bail orders.

His not guilty plea to a charge that he committed a similar offence in the town's Muir Street on April 19 was accepted.

Chloe O'Hara prosecuting, said police officers spotted Clelland about 8.15am.

She told the court: "He appeared to be slightly intoxicated and made eye contact with the officers before grabbing his jacket pocket.

"The officers approached him and detained him for a search. They found a Stanley knife in his jacket pocket.

"Clelland said 'It was lying on the footpath. I picked it up and was going to take it to a bin. I didn't expect to be stopped by the police going to Farmfoods and back - a four-minute journey'."

Defence agent Ian Scott said that remained his client's position, but added: "He should have taken the knife to the nearest bin and not gone to Farmfoods first.

"He ought to be well acquainted with the rules regarding this sort of thing."

The court heard Clelland has been jailed before for possession of a weapon.

Sheriff Andrew McIntyre told him that carrying a knife "for even the briefest period" is an offence.

The sheriff said: "Your record for having weapons is serious, but you have already spent three months in custody in relation to this matter.

"Rather than send you back to prison, I'm prepared to impose a community-based sentence."

Clelland will be under supervision for a year and electronically tagged for 19 weeks. That means he is confined to his home between 7pm and 7am each day.

And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Why not head to our page and give us a like and share.

*Don't miss th e latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here .

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.