A man who was caught carrying a large kitchen knife in public, telling police he was using it "safely", has been jailed for a year.

Robert McKennan, 20, was spotted by neighbourhood officers who were on patrol in Gunthorpe, Peterborough, on the evening of October 1 last year (2021).

Concerned he was looking lost, the officers spoke with him but he appeared nervous and made a run for it.

McKennan was caught in Coniston Road where he was searched, uncovering a large kitchen knife in his rucksack.

He was arrested and interviewed where he told officers he had found the knife and kept it in his bag but was “using it safely”.

McKennan, of Hope Street, York, appeared at Peterborough Crown Court on Friday March 11 where he admitted being in possession of a knife in a public place and was sentenced to a year in a Young Offender Institution.

PC Charlie Adams, from Peterborough’s Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “Despite claiming he was using the knife ‘safely’, McKennan knew it was illegal to be walking the streets with a knife in his bag.

“We are working hard to tackle knife crime in our communities and will continue to put anyone who is found carrying a weapon before the courts.”

Anyone with information about someone who carries a knife is urged to report to police online at https://bit.ly/3CKEszi.