Drink-driver had 5in lock knife hidden in sock (From Worcester News)

Drink-driver had 5in lock knife hidden in sock

10:00pm Saturday 8th September 2012 in News By James Connell

A DRINK-driver was stopped by police, who went on to find he had a lock knife hidden in his sock.

Stephen Peace, aged 54, of Tolladine Road, Worcester, admitted driving with excess alcohol when he appeared before Worcester magistrates.

He also admitted possession of an offensive weapon in a public place after a search revealed a lock knife with a five-inch blade.

The court was told that Peace was pulled over in his white LDV van in Cherwell Close, off Tolladine Road, at about 7.25pm on Tuesday, August 21. Mark Johnson, prosecuting, said police could smell alcohol on his breath and he was taken to Worcester police station, where a breath test revealed 67mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath. The legal limit is 35mcg.

Mr Johnson said: “While in custody the defendant was searched and found in his sock was a lock knife described as having a five- inch blade.”

Peace told police he had transferred the knife from a pocket to his sock because it was sticking in his ribs and kept falling out of his pocket.

Peace had no previous criminal convictions.

Angela Woolnough, defending, said that Peace had been drinking cider at lunchtime on the day he was stopped and had been decorating when he received a call from a friend who lived about a mile-and-a-half away who had no money and was asking for his help.

Ms Woolnough said Peace then made the “fatal error” to drive to his friend’s house and had failed to consider cider he had also drunk the previous night which contributed to the reading.

She said: “No one else was in the car. There was no accident and no suggestion of any unacceptable standard of driving.”

She said the knife was used for rabbiting, gutting and skinning rabbits on behalf of local farmers.

The knife is usually kept in a sideboard at home but he put it in his sock because he was going rabbiting the next day.

She said: “It wasn’t used to threaten or cause fear in any way whatsoever. He used in purely for rabbiting on average twice a month.”

Peace has been alcohol dependent for a number of years.

He was disqualified from driving for 18 months, fined £100 and ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and £85 costs. Peace was offered a drink- drive course which, if completed, allows him to have a 25 per cent reduction in the length of the ban. The knife was ordered to be destroyed.