A 38-year-old found with a hatchet and a knife during a traffic stop has been jailed for 18 months.

Anthony Young, from Warwick, pleaded guilty late last year to possessing a bladed article in a public place in connection with an incident on May 25, 2023.

Magistrates’ Court heard that police were conducting roadside sobriety checks on Middle Road, near the junction with Tamarind Vale, when they had reason to stop Young, who was travelling west along Middle Road on a motorcycle.

The officers arrested Young on an unrelated offence and asked him if he had any weapons, to which he responded that he had a hatchet.

Asked why, he said: “In case guys want to act up.”

The officers recovered a black-handled hatchet in his waistband and went on to search his motorcycle, where they found a black-handled knife with a serrated edge in the seat.

At a sentencing hearing yesterday, Audley Quallo, for the Crown, said that a social inquiry report found that Young was at a high risk of committing further offences and had refused to take part in rehabilitative programmes.

He added that Young’s comments to officers during his arrest also raised concerns and said that they indicated premeditation.

“Any misinterpretation of a situation that he found himself in may have ended tragically,” Mr Quallo said.

He also told the court that Young had previously been convicted of assault and possessing a bladed weapon, although those offences took place more than ten years ago.

In all the circumstances, Mr Quallo argued that an immediate custodial sentence would be appropriate. He suggested a sentence of 18 months in prison.

Jonathan White, duty council, said Young accepted that a period of time behind bars would not be inappropriate, but urged the court to consider a sentence of six months.

He argued that, despite his comments to police, Young had told the writer of the social inquiry report that he had the hatchet to carry out drywall work.

“It is inconsistent with his initial statement, but perhaps it was an ill-advised spontaneous response,” he said.

Senior magistrate Maxanne Anderson urged Young to reconsider taking advantage of the rehabilitative services that were available to him.

“It is obvious that you need treatment and you need treatment urgently to assist because your substance abuse issues may be part of the reasons why you are committing these offences,” she said.

While Ms Anderson said she would give Young the benefit of an early guilty plea, she found that an 18-month sentence would be appropriate in all of the circumstances.

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