Parolee had knives in his pockets while meeting with parole officer

He claimed he had been cleaning house and found the knives but forgot he had put them in his pockets before meeting with his parole officer.

The parolee was found to have had a flick knife in his back pocket while speaking with his parole officer.

A TOOWOOMBA man who turned up at a scheduled meeting with his parole officer while carrying two knives in his trouser pockets has been returned to prison.

Police were called to the Hume St officers of Probation and Parole about 3.15pm Monday when Jamie Ronald Cullen was found to have a 21cm bladed flick knife in his back trouser pocket and a 12cm bladed knife in his front pocket, Toowoomba Magistrates Court heard.

The 24-year-old told police and the parole officer that he had forgotten to take the knives out of his pockets, police prosecutor Senior Constable Chris Willson told the court.

Cullen said he had found the knives when cleaning his home earlier that day and had put them in his pockets away from children at the house.

He had then attended the scheduled meeting with his parole officer, forgetting he had the knives in his pockets, the court heard.

Cullen, who had spent the night in the watch house, appeared via video link to plead guilty to possessing a knife in a public place.

His solicitor Brad Skuse, of David Burns Lawyers, told the court his client had been sentenced to jail by the District Court last year for possessing a shortened firearm and had a full-time release date on that jail term of May this year and it was likely the 24-year-old would now serve out that time.

His client maintained he had found the knives while cleaning his home and had simply forgotten he had put them in his pockets, Mr Skuse said.

Snr Const. Willson told the court the maximum penalty for the offence was 40 penalty units ($5338) or 12 months in jail.

Noting Cullen’s parole had been suspended indefinitely, Acting Magistrate Roger Stark imposed an $800 fine but gave him no time to pay and ordered he serve the eight days in custody concurrently with his current sentence.