Man jailed for Fareham knife offence

A MAN has been jailed for a knife offence in Fareham after recently appearing at Portsmouth Crown Court.

Police were called at 1.07pm on Saturday, November 6 2021, after 52-year-old Ian Hawkins was spotted with a knife on the High Street in Fareham Town Centre.

When police arrived at the scene, Hawkins was located sitting on a bench outside Wilko, and following a search of his rucksack a large kitchen knife was found on his possession.

A witness confirmed that Hawkins had just purchased the knife at Wilko, and had made comments suggesting he was going to ‘do some damage’ with it.

Hawkins, who was on licence at the time of the offence, was arrested and maintained he had bought the knife for fishing.

He was subsequently charged with possession of a knife in a public place, and the case went to trial at Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court on 22 December 2021.

Magistrates deliberated for just forty minutes before convicting him of the offence, and the case was transferred to Portsmouth Crown Court for sentencing.

Appearing at Crown Court on Wednesday, February 2, Hawkins, of Penhale Gardens in Fareham, was jailed for a total of two and a half years by the judge.

PC Bird, who investigated the case, said: “There is no excuse for carrying a knife in public. Knives cause serious injury and death, and there is no place for them on our streets.

“Hawkins’ excuse of needing it to go fishing was disputed by Magistrates, as Hawkins was on licence at the time, having served a jail term for a stabbing offence. He is now back behind bars, and another knife that could have caused serious harm to the public has been removed.”