Teenager caught with 'knife and baton' after police chase in Sheffield

Police spotted and chased 18-year-old Reece Taylor on Carfield Lane, on January 18, said prosecutor Bashir Ahmed.

He fell over and was detained, and a lock knife with a four-inch blade was found nearby, while an extendable baton was discovered in his bag.

Sheffield Crown Court heard that Taylor has 18 convictions for 25 offences, including criminal damage, assault and possession of a blade in December 2017.

"He told officers the reason he had a knife was because he likes knives," Mr Ahmed said on Wednesday.

He said Taylor received a community order in November last year for a non-dwelling burglary, and he breached it when he was found with the weapons.

But Chris Brewin, mitigating, argued it would be unjust to activate the mandatory six-month prison sentence.

He said Taylor had "some difficulties" and had "spent some time in the care system."

He said that since the community order began, Taylor's conduct had improved and he was now willing to engage with the order.

"He is due to become a father in October," said Mr Brewin. "He wants to try and be a good father because his own father was absent in jail on a very frequent basis."

He described Taylor as a " vulnerable individual trying to make sense of his place in the world."

“He has stopped smoking cannabis and is looking for work.”

Taylor, formerly of Crown Close, Barnsley, pleaded guilty to having a knife and an offensive weapon in public.

Judge Graham Reeds QC said there seemed to be no alternative to custody when Taylor first appeared in court.

“Your counsel has changed my mind and you should be thankful,” he said: "You didn't have weapons in your possession when you were hitting people in the past."

He sentenced him to 146 days in prison, suspended for 12 months, and imposed a six-month curfew, from 7pm to 7am, for Taylor, who will live on Campion Close, Rotherham.