SHOCKINGLY it’s perfectly legal to walk around with this lethal-looking double-bladed knife in your pocket.

The knife, fitted with two two-and-a-half-inch blades, fell out of a man’s pocket after he was arrested by police in Worcester on another matter.

Richard Jauncey was prosecuted for possessing a knife in a public place – Worcester Police Station.

But when the case reached Worcester Magistrates Court, a district judge was forced to dismiss the charges because the blades are less than three inches long. Judge Bruce Morgan admitted the situation was “crazy” but said he had no choice but to dismiss charges against the 29-year-old.

Mr Morgan said: “It seems crazy a member of the public can carry this around and there is no offence.”

The Criminal Justice Act 1988 states it is an offence to possess anything with a blade or point in a public place. But the public are allowed to carry pocket knives, if the blade is less than three inches long and they have a lawful reason to possess it - such as to use for fishing.

Alternatively police can arrest someone for carrying any bladed weapon, however short the blade, if it is being used to cause injury or to frighten someone.

And some weapons are exempt from the three-inch rule altogether - carrying a lock knife, butterfly knife, flick knife or bayonet is always an offence.

In this specific case Jauncey, of Hopton Street, Dines Green, Worcester, had been arrested for unrelated matters and the knife fell out of his pocket in Worcester police station’s custody suite.

He claimed the knife belonged to his friend.

Suzanne Llewellyn, district crown prosecutor for south Worcestershire, said the Crown Prosecution Service applied an evidential and public interest test when deciding whether to prosecute a case.

In this case there was not enough evidence for a charge to stand up in court.

“When we dropped the case we were no longer satisfied that the evidential test had been passed,” she said.

A spokesman for Worcester police said: “The carrying of knives is to be discouraged at all times and in any circumstances.

“Anyone carrying a knife can be a danger to themselves and other people.

“Anyone found to be in possession of a knife or sharp object of any kind will be dealt with appropriately.”