A 22-year-old man has been given a suspended prison sentence for possessing a bladed article.

Kershon Burt was found guilty of the offence, which happened in December 2007, after a Magistrates' Court trial in January.

No details of the crime were given at a sentencing hearing yesterday. Lawyer Cheryl Ann Mapp told the court he was 19 at the time, still maintained his innocence and wanted to return to New England Institute of Technology to complete his schooling.

The defendant, whose address was previously given as Friswells Hill, Pembroke, told Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo: "It was just a case of me being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I have learnt from my mistakes but I can't take back what happened."

Mr. Tokunbo said: "This is a very serious offence. For having a bladed article, it calls for a mandatory period of imprisonment."

The Magistrate said Burt was involved in a dispute with someone on the street before Police pursued him and that one of his witnesses gave contrary evidence as to why he ran inside after seeing officers.

"The circumstances under which you committed the offence are such that a period of imprisonment is appropriate in this case. I sentence you to six months in prison, suspended for 12 months."

Burt pleaded guilty in September, in a separate case, to riotous behaviour and using a glass bottle as an offensive weapon during a massive brawl at last year's Cup Match.