Drug addict caught carrying knife described as ‘pleasant man’

Tyron Harman, of Tudor Walk in Walcot, was arrested in Swindon on February 26, 2024, and charged with carrying an eight-inch locking knife, stolen goods, and cannabis.

The stolen items, from Sussex Square Co-op, included nine packs of dishwasher tablets costing £78.

Harman is no stranger to the Swindon courts, having previously allowed a major drug plot to be carried out in his home in 2015.

But on May 1, 2024, Swindon Magistrate's Court heard how the 36-year-old, who pleaded guilty to all three charges, had been in recovery from his drug addiction for several years and had been given a "glowing review" by agencies that had dealt with him.

Tyron Harman was caught in Swindon carrying an eight-inch lock knife, similar to the one pictured. (Image: Getty)

A spokesperson for the probation service added that Harman had received a large payout on his benefits which had caused him to seek drugs again and have a relapse.

"When you give a recovering drug addict a lot of money it can cause them to relapse and sadly this is the situation he found himself in," explained defence lawyer Ms Thacker.

"But he is a very pleasant young man and he has glowing reviews from probation and agencies as well.

"The bladed article offence was simply a case of him wandering along the street and he found a knife and put it in his bag.

"He was only in possession of the knife for a matter of minutes and he surrounded it to police when they asked him to."

Harman was sentenced at Swindon Magistrate's Court on May 1, 2024. (Image: Newsquest)

Prosecutor Keith Ballinger confirmed that the knife did not belong to Harman and that while he has previous drug and theft convictions, there are none for weapons offences.

Praising Harman's previous good character, chair of the magistrate's bench Alex Smith said: "Possession of a bladed article is a crime worthy of a prison sentence but we don’t believe you should go to custody.

"This is because you had no intention of using the knife but also because of your cooperation with the police, the probation service and other rehabilitation agencies.”

The drug addict was sentenced to a 12-month community order, up to 15 days rehabilitation activity days, and a six-month drug rehabilitation course.

On top of this, Harman will be punished with a £120 fine, £48 surcharge, £85 in court costs and £78 compensation to Co-op.

This leaves him with a total bill of £331.