Man refused bail after appearing charged with knife possession

Stephen Kemp, 38, of Prehen Road in Derry, was charged with being in possession of a knife in Spencer Road in the Waterside area on November 1.

A police officer connected the accused to the charges and opposed bail.

The court heard that police received a report of a man with a facial tattoo and Australian accent carrying a knife in the vicinity of Duke's Bar.

Police attended and located Kemp and after a search found the knife in his waistband.

Kemp claimed that he had found the knife in Spencer Road and was simply looking to dispose of it.

He was also found to be drunk when police arrived, a breach of previous bail conditions.

Kemp had previously come to the attention of police when, in June, he received a caution after police found a number of other knives and nunchucks at his address.

Kemp was also on bail on charges of domestic abuse, including non-fatal strangulation and actual bodily harm, from October 2, the court was told.

The court also heard that Kemp had a relevant record in Australia on a number of similar charges.

Police objected to bail as he had previously breached his conditions within a month of release.

Defence solicitor Paddy MacDermott told the court that it didn't appear that anything bad happened with the knife and said that he didn't have the worst record.

Bail was refused and he will appear again on November 9.