Hospital patient armed with knife walks free from court despite previous convictions

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A hospital patient who was found to be armed with a knife has walked free from court despite 321 previous convictions. A nurse was helping Craig Nicholson, 43, put his jacket on as he prepared to leave the hospital when she noticed that he had a plastic bag hidden up his sleeve.

When she looked inside, there was a ten inch knife with a six inch blade. The nurse called security at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, and Nicholson was arrested.

Newcastle Crown Court heard how he already had 321 previous convictions on a vast criminal record, including six for knife-related offences, Chronicle Live reports.However, he has now been given a final chance to prove he can stay out of trouble.The court heard it was in January last year that a nurse had been dealing with Nicholson after he was found in a "comatose" state near the Monument in the city centre.

She was helping him prepare to leave and when she asked what was in the bag in his sleeve, he didn't reply, so she looked. He claimed he had just bought it but could not produce the receipt he claimed to have so was reported to police.Nicholson, 43, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to having a bladed article and Judge Stephen Earl sentenced him to 21 months suspended for two years.The judge told him if he offends again he will go straight to prison.