A Stevenage man has been handed a six-month sentence today after pleading guilty to possession of a locking blade knife.

Darren Fraser, 20, of Pembridge Gardens, was stopped by officers from the Stevenage Operation Scorpion Team on Friday, September 24.

While searching him officers found a double-edged locking knife and he was immediately arrested for being in possession of a bladed article in a public place.

Fraser was subsequently charged and remanded into custody. He appeared at Hatfield Magistrates’ court this morning, where he pleaded guilty to the offence and was sentenced to six months imprisonment.

Detective Inspector Nick Rega said: “We are committed to tackling knife crime in Stevenage and ridding the town of these types of dangerous weapons.

"My operation Scorpion officers carry out regular plain clothes patrols of the town and this is a very good result for the team.

"A custodial sentence shows how seriously these types of offences are taken and hopefully sends a strong message to those that think it's OK to carry knives in our town."