Crime
Huntingdon court accepts ‘send me back to prison’ plea
Magistrates in Huntingdon granted a man his wish to be returned to prison after hearing he had dialled 999 to say he was carrying a machete in a bag.
Declan Hyland, 25, was in Norfolk Street, Peterborough, at 2am on Thursday (24 November) when he called 999 and said he had the weapon in a bag.
Hyland threatened to “hurt people” as he wanted to go back to prison, having spent 12 weeks there last year for burglary.
Police arrested Hyland and found the large machete with a wooden handle in a black drawstring bag.
Hyland appeared at Huntingdon Magistrates’ Court the same day and was jailed for six months, having pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article in public.
PC Mohsin Raja said: “There is absolutely no excuse for carrying a weapon like this in public.
“Tackling serious street-based violence is a force priority and we will continue to do all we can to take as many offensive weapons off the streets of Cambridgeshire as possible.”
For more information on knife crime, or to report someone who carries a weapon, visit Cambridgeshire Constabulary’s website.