A man caught carrying a two-foot sword and an axe in Darlington has been given a suspended prison sentence for failing to comply with a community order.

Matthew Thompson, 28, of Mowden Terrace, Darlington, appeared at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday where he pleaded guilty to the breaches.

He was given a rehabilitation order on June 1 last year after he was caught with the weapons on Major Street on April 22, 2022.

Magistrates were told he failed to attend notified appointments under the Rehabilitation Activity Requirement on December 28 and January 17.

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He also failed to attend unpaid work on January 15 and failed to provide the required evidence to reasonably excuse his absences within the required time scale.

He was resentenced to four months in prison, suspended for 18 months, during which time he will be subject to a Rehabilitation Activity Requirement.

Thompson will also have to carry out unpaid work for 250 hours within the next 12 months.