Teenager jailed for taking a knife to the site of a planned protest
A teenager who took a knife to an area where a protest was due to take place has been jailed.
Thomas Connelly, 18, of Regency Square in Warrington, was arrested while acting suspiciously on Orford Lane on 7 August 2024 around 5.40pm.
Police had been alerted to a possible protest in the area later that day. Connelly was searched and was found to have a folding pocketknife in his pocket.
He admitted to having the knife but said he worked at an upholsterer’s and had been using the knife in work and forgotten to leave it at work. He admitted that he was aware a protest was due to take place in the area later that day.
He was charged with possession of a bladed article in a public place and pleaded guilty to the offence at Chester Magistrates' Court on 14 August 2024.
He was jailed the same day for 26 weeks.
Emily Lloyd, Senior District Crown Prosecutor, for CPS Mersey Cheshire, said: “Connelly was found acting suspiciously in an area where Police knew that a protest was planned for that evening. He was found to be carrying a knife.
"He said he had been using the knife in his work and had forgotten to take it out. But that isn’t a defence. He was in a public place with a bladed article without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.
“It was concerning that he was making his way to the protest that was planned and the knife could have been used by him or others if he dropped it etc.
“In the last week or so, there have been a number of protests throughout the region that have led to disgraceful scenes of riot and violence.
“The Crown Prosecution Service and the police have been working around the clock in the days since to bring those involved in these disturbances to justice.
“What Thomas Connelly intended to use the knife for is extremely worrying. His immediate imprisonment is another signal to the public that the criminality around the misinformation and illegality that has sprung up following the dreadful murders of three children in Southport will not be tolerated."