Doncaster man jailed after he was caught with knife in Frenchgate Shopping Centre

Sheffield Crown Court heard on May 17 how Daniel Anderwatha, aged 27, of Riviera Parade, Bentley, Doncaster, was seen by CCTV operators acting suspiciously with others in Doncaster town centre so police were alerted and they found he had a knife.

Emily Hassell, prosecuting, said: “On February 23 at 9.20am in the morning the defendant was observed with a number of other males on Doncaster CCTV.

“The operators suspected the males were involved in a drug deal and called for police assistance.”

Ms Hassell added a police officer searched Anderwatha at a food court at the Frenchgate Shopping Centre and found a black-handled knife in his jacket pocket.

Anderwatha, who has previous convictions, pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article in a public place.

The court heard he has six previous convictions for 14 offences including robbery, attempted robbery, two counts of possessing a bladed article and one count of possessing a bladed article in a prison.

Amy Earnshaw, defending, said: “The knife was in his pocket and he had forgotten about it and he had been using it to cut up food for his dog. It has a sheath on it and it was not brandished.”

Judge Jeremy Richardson QC who acknowledged there has been a delay in bringing the case to a conclusion, sentenced Anderwatha to five months of custody.

He urged the defendant to lead a better life or matters could deteriorate and he will face much longer custodial sentences.