New Ollerton man's machete mistake nearly ended in jail

Police officers spotted the handle sticking out of the back of Paul Brown’s trousers as he walked along Newark Road with the four-year-old girl, just after 6pm, on May 23.

Brown, 49, of Birch Road, admitted possession of a bladed article when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Thursday.

The court heard he had a previous conviction for the same offence in 2009, when he received a suspended sentence at the crown court.

Probation officer Mark Burton said Brown, who works for a local superstore, was “impulsive”, but had good intentions and did not mean to harm anyone.

His arrest meant that an application to take custody of his two grandchildren had been withdrawn.

Vicky Clarson, mitigating, said: “He is not a young man walking around the street with weapons.

“He and his wife have been going through the process to take full time care of his grandaughters. All was going well until he was arrested.

“He is not allowed to have unsupervised contact with them and this has caused him significant distress.

“There were no dangerous circumstances. The item wasn’t used to threaten anyone. He had been using it in the garden earlier in the day.”

Brown was given 20 weeks in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to carry out 20 days of rehabilitation to address his thinking skills.

He must pay £85 court costs and a £115 victim surcharge.