Man jailed after being caught with knife by plain clothes officers

A man who was caught by plain clothes police officers carrying a knife in the middle of the night has been jailed.

Officers from Darlington’s C Relief response team were on foot patrol in plain clothes at around 2.30am on Wednesday morning (September 2) when they spotted Joshua Norman with two electric bikes in an underpass near Shelley Road.

Norman tried to run when challenged by the officers, but was detained and searched, where a four-inch kitchen knife was found in his jacket pocket.

The 31-year-old was brought into police custody where he was charged with a number of offences, including possession of a knife in a public place and two counts of vehicle interference.

He was also charged with two counts of fraud by false representation after using stolen bank cards to buy around £300 worth of cigarettes.

Norman, of Westmoreland Street, in Darlington, appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to the offences.

He was jailed for 25 weeks, and the knife was also destroyed.

Chief Inspector Rachel Hills, from Durham Constabulary, said: “This was a great piece of proactive policing by these officers which has resulted in a prolific offender being put behind bars.”