Body search of man in Scarborough town centre revealed a 'deadly armoury of weapons'

Tarik Turan, 30, was stopped by police in Westborough where a body search unveiled a variety of potentially deadly weapons including a push dagger, a lock knife, two knuckle dusters and a retractable baton, York Crown Court heard.

Turan, of Coastal Road, Burniston, was arrested and charged with four counts of possessing an offensive weapon in public and one further offence of carrying a bladed article.

He admitted the charges and appeared for sentence on Wednesday knowing that an immediate jail sentence was on the cards.

Prosecutor Lydia Carroll said police had turned up in Westborough looking for Turan’s friend, but the defendant was also searched. The five weapons were found inside his jacket and jogging bottoms.

Turan, who works as a chef at a hotel just outside Scarborough, has three previous convictions but none for violence.

His lawyer Neil Cutte said Turan was a weapons collector and didn’t realise the seriousness of taking them out on the street.

He said Turan’s sole intention was to show them to a friend in Scarborough, but not to use them.

“His (Turan’s) friend was stopped for a drugs search and (Turan) was searched as well, and these items were found on him,” added Mr Cutte.

“He has no history of violence (and) he’s learnt his lesson.”

Judge Andrew Stubbs QC agreed to sentence Turan on the basis that he was a weapons collector and had no intention of using them in a violent way.

He added, however: “You were walking the streets of Scarborough with an armoury of vicious and potentially-fatal weapons.”

These included a “quite evil-looking” push dagger and lock knife which ordinarily had “only one use on the streets and that is to cause serious injury, but I sentence you on the basis that that was not your intention”, said the judge.

He said it was for that reason that he could “just” suspend the inevitable prison sentence.

The 10-month prison term was suspended for 18 months and Turan was ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work.

In addition, Mr Stubbs imposed a daily, three-month curfew under which Turan will not be able to leave his home between 7pm and 6.30am. He was also ordered to complete 20 rehabilitation-activity days.