A man caught with a knife in a Hamilton park was given a conditional discharge.

Trounsell Thompson Ming, 32, from Hamilton Parish, pleaded guilty to having the knife, which had a blade longer than three inches, when he appeared in Magistrates’ Court.

The court heard that police found the weapon while questioning Ming inside Queen Elizabeth Park in connection with an unrelated matter in February.

He told officers that there were “a lot of stabbings” in Bermuda and he had the knife for his own protection.

Ming apologised to the court and said that he was stressed and not thinking during the incident.

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo told Ming that the offence could have resulted in him or another person being injured or killed.

“Most men who carry knives are not thinking,” he added.

He ordered Ming to meet regularly with court services and stay out of trouble throughout his six-month discharge.

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