Drunk man caught with knife outside pub

A man who carried a knife in public while drunk has been jailed.

Oliver Dalby, 33, of Bridewell Road, Cambridge, visited the Barley Mow pub, in Histon High Street, with his brother at just before 5pm on November 15.

Dalby left around 7pm after he was refused any more alcohol due to staff believing he was drunk.

However, he returned again two hours later and staff again refused to serve him.

A police statement said: "Dalby then became verbally aggressive and shouted in customers’ faces so was escorted outside. The manager ordered Dalby a taxi and waited outside with him for it to arrive, but retreated inside and called the police after Dalby continued his abuse.

"Officers arrived and searched Dalby, finding a Stanley knife in his waistband with the blade fixed in position. Dalby was arrested on suspicion of possessing a knife in a public place and threatening behaviour. In a police interview Dalby said he didn’t intend to scare anyone and had the Stanley knife as he worked on a building site. He claimed he had the knife in his bag but “wasn’t thinking” and panicked when police arrived so hid it in his waistband."

He was due to stand trial for possessing a knife at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court in January, but failed to attend and the case was proved in his absence. As a result Dalby also pleaded guilty to failing to surrender and was jailed for eight months at Peterborough Crown Court on Monday (April 27).

DC Becky Hughes, who investigated, said: “Although the knife was never brandished by Dalby, the fact is he had the blade fixed in position and with him in a public place.

“There is absolutely no excuse for carrying a knife in public and the consequences of doing so can often be devastating.”

The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife or other offensive weapons in public is four years in prison and a fine of £5,000.

Know someone who carries a weapon? Report it to us by calling 101 or visiting www.cambs.police.uk/report. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111 or via www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

For more information about possessing a knife or an offensive weapon in public, and the laws surrounding it, visit the force website: www.cambs.police.uk/knifecrime.