A MAN who spoke of shooting his neighbours if he had a gun was stopped on a bus and found in possession of a survival knife and class A drugs.

Andrew Smith of Woodmans Rise, Droitwich, admitted possession of a survival lock knife with a four-inch blade and 26 methadone tablets in public when he appeared before Worcester magistrates.

The offences placed Smith in breach of a previous conditional discharge which was imposed last February for possession of shotgun cartridges and an air weapon.

The 45-year-old was stopped and searched on a bus which was travelling from Worcester to Droitwich on December 17 last year following a dispute with a neighbour.

Fred Pilkington, prosecuting, said: “Police stopped the bus and spoke to the defendant and searched him. He said: ‘I have some knives on my belt’.”

The police then took Smith into custody and he accepted possession of the lock knife in interview.

Mr Pilkington said: “He said he used the knife for hunting rabbits. He wasn’t aware that having it in public was an offence.”

Police also found the 26 methadone tablets even though Smith is only prescribed the drug in liquid form.

He told police that the drugs had been given to him some time ago and he had no lawful reason to have them.

Paul Stanley, defending, asked that Smith be given full credit for his early guilty pleas. Mr Stanley said the tablets were given to him by a friend, who died of cancer, as a back-up supply.

He said: “He talked about causing harm to his neighbours if he had a gun. He doesn’t have a gun, but he does have a knife with him.

“The weapon is not used to threaten or cause fear. He talks about a gun but, in fact, he had a knife.”

Mr Stanley said the offences were of the lowest category and that Smith had been co-operative with the police throughout.

“He has major problems with his neighbours threatening his person and his property. He said, on this day, some things that he clearly didn’t mean.”

Harry Turner, chairman of the magistrates’ bench, said: “The recent escalation of these offences is very worrying.”

In total, Smith received a 10-week prison sentence suspended for 12 months.

He was ordered to pay £85 court costs and an £80 victim surcharge.