A man caught with a screwdriver near Hamilton’s Ferry Terminal was jailed for 30 days.

Magistrates’ Court heard Maxwell Smith was arrested after police were alerted to a man tampering with bikes parked near the ferry stop. Smith was found in the area and a search turned up a screwdriver.

Smith denied he had used the tool to tamper with bikes and told officers he carried it in case he needed “to fend someone off”.

Crown counsel Alan Richards said: “The item was not offensive per se, but when questioned about it he made statements that amounted to he was carrying it for an offensive purpose.”

Smith, 45, pleaded guilty to the July 23, 2017 offence. Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo imposed a $500 fine, but changed it to a month in prison at the defendant’s request.