A MAN has been handed a jail term after he was arrested in possession of a flick knife on a train at Oxenholme station.

Damien Richardson, 49, pleaded guilty at South Cumbria Magistrates' Court to possessing an offensive weapon, as well as possessing cannabis.

Richardson was travelling on the train when a member of the public spotted the flick knife on the table between Richardson and his companion.

Chrissie Hunt, prosecuting, said that the member of the public called the police, and the pair were arrested at the next train station.

When he was arrested and searched, Richardson, of Spencer Street, Bury, was also found to be carrying some cannabis.

The court also heard that this was the third time that Richardson had been seen in public with a knife.

In mitigation Andrew Gallagher said the knife had belonged to Richardson's grandfather, and he was taking it to be fixed in Manchester, so that he could display it at home.

He met his friend in Manchester, who asked him to go to the Lake District to help him pick up some belongings that were kept there at a girlfriend's house. Richardson agreed to the spontaneous trip, which Mr Gallagher said explained why he was on the train with the knife.

Mr Gallagher also told the court that the knife was broken, and that the flick mechanism did not work properly.

He said that the knife was only out on the train because they were using it to cut up some pork pies.

The court also heard that Richardson smoked cannabis in order to cope with an injury to his arm. The court heard that he had been reliant on heroin for decades, however had managed to give clean samples to the probation service for the past six months.

District judge Gerald Chalk said: "You have admitted that this is your third offence of possessing a blade in a public place. 

"I am sending you to prison and I order the destruction of both the drugs and the knife."

Richardson was sentenced to 236 days in prison and was given a conditional discharge for possession of the drugs.