A drunken dancing error exposed a knife-carrier when a weapon fell from his shorts pocket in front of bar staff.
Mihai Cazacu had been drinking beer and vodka when the incident happened at THE DUCK in Castle Gate, Newark, at around 8.30pm on 15 August.
The 38-year-old got up to leave the bar and dropped the knife as he headed down a corridor.
CCTV footage captured the moment Cazacu danced towards the exit while on his phone, when the knife fell from his back pocket.
A member of staff witnessed Cazacu drop the weapon and picked it up, telling him that he could not have the knife back.
Cazacu laughed and attempted to leave the premises but was stopped by door staff. The police were called, and he was arrested by officers minutes later.
In an interview, Cazacu said he had been drinking in his lorry before going out for a walk to the bar but claimed he did not recall having the knife and could not explain where he got it from.
Cazacu suggested he may have taken the weapon from the bar; however, it was pointed out that the seized kitchen knife did not belong to the venue or match its style of cutlery.
Cazacu, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to possession of a knife in a public place when he appeared at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on 17 August.
He was jailed for two months, suspended for a year, and was ordered to pay costs of £85 and a £154 surcharge.
PC Chloe Baldry, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “There is never any justification for carrying a weapon.
“We take any report of a knife being carried in public very seriously, and Cazacu was quickly arrested just three minutes after this incident.
“We work closely with venue staff across Nottinghamshire to help ensure the safety of the public, and they did exactly the right thing by stepping in when it was appropriate to do so.
“The decision to carry a knife puts you at greater risk of coming to harm.
“Thankfully, nobody was hurt during this incident, and a dangerous weapon has now been removed from the street.”
