Man took knives to '˜scare off' colleague

Adam Nolan, of Moss Park, pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon on Decmeber 13, last year.

Derry Magistrate’s Court heard a taxi driver contacted police after he overheard a phone conversation between his passenger and Nolan.

The passenger was a work colleague of the 25-years-old defendant and they were making arrangements to confront each other.

Nolan approached the taxi with two large knives, then left the scene and returned without them.

The court was told there was no physical confrontation and the passenger of the taxi did not make a statement.

During police interview, Nolan admitted possession of the knives and claimed he only had them to scare the other man off.

He said it was a ‘moment of stupidity’ and he didn’t intend to use the knives.

Defence counsel, Catherine Devlin, said Nolan had been out with work colleagues and had ‘stepped in’ when this other male began ‘harassing’ a young woman.

She said the defendat got the knives when this other male contacted him to make arrangements to meet because he was ‘afraid.

Imposing the Community Service Order and ordering Nolan to spend a year on Probation, District Judge Oonagh Mullan said: “I don’t know what you were thinking on the night in question.”