A MAN arrested at a Kidderminster nightclub was found to have 10 ecstasy tables on him and a baton like the type used by police.

Staff at Mirage in Dixon Street became suspicious when they saw Nicholas Harrold remove something from his coat and take it into the dance area, Worcester Crown Court heard.

He was jailed for six months after pleading guilty to possessing ecstasy and having an offensive weapon.

Harrold, 26, of Drake Crescent, Kidderminster, made no attempt to use the baton and claimed the drug was for his own use, said Mr Antonie Muller, prosecuting.

Police alerted to the club found the tablets in his pockets as well as the baton, which extended from six inches to three feet in length. Another tablet was found at his home.

Harrold, a £200-a-week print worker at TPL, Hartlebury, bought the baton in a pub and used it as a "fancy toy to show his friends," said Miss Samantha Powis, defending.

He was currently serving an 18-month sentence for assault and was due to be released in July. She said he was on the drug-free wing.

Harrold had completed the first part of an NVQ sports leadership course to enable him to teach children.

Judge Ian Morris said he was impressed by his efforts while in prison and ordered that the jail term should run concurrently with the existing sentence so that it did not affect his release date.