A 24-year-old Nottingham woman ended up hiding a knife after witnessing two bikes crash in the city centre. Nottingham Magistrates’ Court heard how Katie Allsop was handed the weapon by a man who had been “almost knocked out” in the collision and told to dispose of it before the police arrived.
Despite being reluctant to do so, she “feared for her life” and so took the weapon and placed it under clothing belonging to homeless people who had been sheltering in a doorway. Now, the drug user has been spared prison with a warning that if she is caught carrying a blade again she faces a six-month minimum sentence.
Andy MacDonald, mitigating, said: “It’s quite an odd one. Miss Allsop found herself coming down Hockley and both bikes passed her. She recognised one of the riders, then there was a collision and she went over and found him almost knocked out and very confused.
“He was not in a very good way and the only thing that he said to her was ‘you are taking this knife’. She said ‘I can’t do that’ and he told her ‘No, you are doing this now’.
“She was getting bullied by this man, she feared for her life and she feared for the life of her family. She put it under her coat and literally walked for four or five seconds with it.
“There were homeless people outside the White Rose who got up to see what had happened and she put the knife under some clothing. She’s currently homeless but she does use the London Road shelter.
“She’s a user of heroin and Mamba as well but she is on a Methadone script. She has been trying to sort herself out.” Sanjay Jerath, prosecuting, said the offences took place on Sunday, December 29 in Hockley.
He said the defendant, formerly of Eddleston Drive, Clifton, witnessed a crash between two bikes and, recognising one of the people involved, went over to see what had happened.
The prosecutor said: “The defendant was passed a knife which she placed underneath some clothing outside the doorway to the White Rose shop and then walked over to the police. Some members of the public made references to their being a knife and one of them said ‘that’s where it is’ to the police and the defendant was arrested. It is an unusual case.”
Allsop, currently of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to possession of a bladed article. Handing her a 12-month community order, with five rehabilitation sessions, District Judge Sunil Khanna said: “Miss Allsop, this is an extremely unusual case.
“I accept you only had possession of the knife for a fleeting amount of time, maybe seconds, and because of that I am coming outside the guidelines.” As well as the community order, the judge ordered the defendant to pay a £114 victim surcharge.