A MAN was given a conditional discharge for possession of a knuckleduster.

Lewis Brendan Morera-Morgan, 19, of Trinity Road, Ventnor, admitted possessing an offensive weapon in public on March 28, 2019, when he appeared at the Isle of Wight Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.

Barry Arnett, for Morera-Morgan, said: "I have no idea why this case has taken quite this long to get here.

"In the boot of his car, police found a bag with his passport, some other items, and the knuckleduster, buried at the bottom of it.

"He can't remember whose it was, or where it came from or how it even ended up in his bag in the first place.

"There is certainly no suggestion he had any intention of using or brandishing it.

"Being kept at the bottom of someone's rucksack in the boot of their car doesn't exactly show he was prepared to use it."

Prosecutor Ann Smout said police found the item when they saw a vehicle their system flagged up as not having any documentation.

She said: "When police approached the vehicle, he ran off, fleeing into a nearby garden.

"When they searched the vehicle they found a bag in the boot of the car containing the knuckleduster.

"After he was arrested he gave no comment to all questions in interview."

Magistrates gave Morera-Morgan a two-year conditional discharge.

He was also ordered to pay court costs of £85, and a surcharge of £20.