A BLACKBURN businessman who was fined for selling disguised knives today said he felt victimised by the authorities.

Mark Hilliard, 40, of Sunny Bower Road, Blackburn, also sold stealth knives which were advertised as being undetectable by security measures and were smuggled onto a plane at Heathrow airport by a national newspaper early last year

After being fined £500 with £50 costs by Blackburn magistrates, Mr Hilliard warned other companies which sell knives, including high street stores, to be aware of the law.

Hilliard and his partner Linda Marie Hilton run a company called Spytech which offered a selection of knives including a pen which contained a metal knife blade, a lipstick knife and a hair brush containing a blade in the head, the court heard.

Each admitted three charges of having in their possession for the purpose of sale a disguised knife and three charges of selling knives suggesting their suitability for combat.

Magistrates heard that selling items described as disguised knives, had been outlawed just four months before police seized them.

And the district judge dealing with the case said he was sentencing Hilliard and Hilton on the basis they had been ignorant of the law rather than deliberately flouting it. Hilliard today said: "If they had simply informed us of the law as opposed to going for a prosecution, this whole matter could have been sorted out a long time ago.

"You can still go out in Blackburn today and buy many of the items we no longer sell and I hope other traders will learn from our mistakes."

In court David Griffiths, defending Hilliard, said the regulations the disguised knives law was passed in June 2002 in response to the World Trade Centre terrorist outrage in September of the previous year.

Unfortunately very few people knew this had been added to the statute book, said Mr Griffiths. "Almost by stealth these two people have been caught out."

Mr Griffiths also produced items which he said also breached the disguised knives regulations which could still be bought on the high street.

"Others are getting away with it and possibly with the same degree of innocence as my clients."