A BOLTON man could not understand why he was arrested for having a lock knife attached to his key ring, a court heard.

Andrew Brown, aged 39, of Newby Drive, Bolton, was arrested in the Millgate area of Bury, for an unrelated matter when an officer in the back of the police vehicle noticed the defendant fiddling with something which turned out to be the lock knife.

He appeared before Bury magistrates on Tuesday and admitted having a bladed article in a public place.

Brown was given a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £55 court costs.

Mr Khalid Qureshi, prosecuting, said it was on the way to the police station that an officer conducted a search and found the lock knife.

Brown told the officer: "Why sell it if it's illegal."

Mr Tim Hopley, defending Brown, said had bought the lock knife at a shop in Bolton the previous day. It was to be used as a tool and not a weapon and the defendant was baffled that it was an offence to have something which could be bought freely.

Mr Hopley said he had to explain that it was not possessing the knife which was the offence, but it was carrying it around in a public place.

The bench ordered the knife to be confiscated.