A balaclava-clad teenager dressed all in black was found to be carrying a baton in a busy, city centre bus station.
Because of what he was wearing and the fact he was also carrying a backpack, Samuel Proud unnerved a number of members of public as he walked through Haymarket, in Newcastle, and he was reported to the police. When officers arrived at the scene, they spotted the 19-year-old and noticed him trying to hide then throw away a black “object”, a court heard.
Proud was detained and the object, which was found to be a baton, was recovered, prosecutors said. The teenager, of Cramond Way, in Cramlington, has now been fined after he pleaded guilty to possession of an offensive weapon at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court.
Paul Coulson, prosecuting, said two officers were on foot patrol in Newcastle city centre on December 20 last year when they got a call about a “suspicious male” in Haymarket Bus Station. Mr Coulson continued: “The reports said that the male was wearing all black clothing, a black face covering, black gloves and a large, black backpack.
“He also had a black baton with him. The officers walked to Haymarket and located this male. He was in the Haymarket Bus Station, in close proximity to Greggs.
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“At this point, he noticed the police presence and he hid. He was attempting to hide from the officers. He was witnessed to pull a black object from himself and throw it to the floor. It was located by police and found to be a black baton.”
The court heard that Proud had one previous conviction and he and his family still received threats from those involved in that case in August 2023. Michael Gibson, defending, said those threats were the reason Proud was carrying the baton, which he claimed was actually a wooden leg from his bed.
Mr Gibson added: “Mr Proud has now moved but still gets voice message threats from withheld numbers on his phone. He’s walking around with that on his mind all the time.
“On the day in question, he was in town. He was wearing a balaclava to keep his head warm. He’s got a fear of being attacked in the back of his mind, so, he took a leg of his bed with him.”
Proud, a student at Kirkley Hall College, was fined £200 and must pay £85 costs and an £80 victim surcharge.