Mansfield teen carried machete down his trousers to ‘scare off’ another boy

Brooklyn Hodgkinson handed it over after police received reports of a weapon among a group of young people on Westfield Lane, at 4.30pm on March 31.

Becky Allsop, prosecuting, said he found it two or three months earlier next to a shed on Ladybrook Park and didn't take it home because there are young children there.

Instead he hid it in the park but didn’t want to say if he’d argued with anyone that night or say why he was carrying it.

Donna Pursglove, mitigating, said Hodgkinson, who has no previous convictions, had only just turned 18. “We have the whole issue of maturity here. He didn’t think what could happen in these circumstances. He knows he has let his family down.”

Ms Pursglove said he has reduced his cannabis intake and hopes to work in fire-proofing.

Hodgkinson, of Brick Kiln Lane, Mansfield, admitted possessing a blade in a public place when he appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on April 16.

On Tuesday, district judge Gillian Young told him: “We see the very worst outcomes in these courts with people carrying knives and the damage caused.

"It is worrying you had this to scare off another young person. I think you do lack maturity. I hope you will do something very helpful to the community.”

She imposed a 12 week prison sentence, suspended 12 months, with 80 hours of unpaid work. He must pay a £154 surcharge and £85 costs.