A MAN has been jailed for having a knife in a public place in Dorchester.

Jason Lee Baccus, 39, of no fixed abode, was sentenced after being found guilty by a jury at Dorchester Crown Court.

A knife was found in his bag after he had been stopped by police in London Road in February.

An officer stopped him following an alleged incident that occurred earlier that day, which Baccus also stood trial for. This charge related to having an offensive weapon, a screwdriver, with intent to cause injury, an offence the jury found Baccus not guilty of.

The jury heard Baccus had travelled to Dorchester with three people and that two of them planned to shoplift. Baccus later found himself with a female friend in Goulds Fashion Store.

He followed her in as he was concerned about what she was planning to do then had a heated exchange with her. As they left the store, an alarm went off.

This alerted staff, including Chris Gould, who searched through Baccus’ bag but found no store items. He attempted to follow Baccus’ friend but was unable to do so.

The jury heard Mr Gould had felt he had been deliberately blocked by Baccus when following after her but the defendant denied this.

Up until this point, Mr Gould had been talking on his radio, alerting police to the ongoing incident.

Police caught the woman nearby and during this time, Baccus ran away from the store.

Mr Gould chased after Baccus and later grabbed him until they reached a cul-de-sac where Baccus was grabbed by Mr Gould him in an attempt to apprehend him.

The prosecution alleged Baccus responded by drawing a screwdriver from his pocket before making a stabbing action towards Mr Gould.

Baccus denied this, stating the screwdriver had fallen out of his bag following Mr Gould’s attempt to apprehend him. At this point, both men went their separate ways.

Later that day, a police officer came into contact with Baccus on London Road and asked him to empty his bag.

Two screwdrivers, a crowbar, a knife and two balaclavas were found in the bag and Baccus was arrested.

He claimed he was carrying the bag for a friend and didn’t know the knife was in there, and also denied having anything to do with the shoplifting.

After being found guilty for having an article with a blade or point, Baccus was sentenced by Judge Jonathan Fuller QC.

The court heard Baccus had been out on licence at the time of his arrest. In August 2013 he was convicted for dwelling house burglary and received a three-year custodial sentence.

He was recalled on his licence as a result of his arrest in February.

Judge Fuller QC sentenced Baccus to six months' imprisonment, to run concurrently to the sentence he is currently serving.