A man has been jailed after police foiled his attempt to hide a knife behind a tree.
Officers from the force’s knife crime team were on patrol in Waterloo Promenade, Radford, Nottingham, on 2 June 2025 when they observed Amahni Maitland riding an e-bike.
When officers approached Maitland he fled but was spotted again a short time later hiding behind a tree.
When the area was searched a lock knife was recovered in vegetation.
Urgent forensic analysis was carried out on the weapon and Maitland’s DNA was discovered.
The 23-year-old, of Wollaton Avenue, Gedling, was arrested, charged and pleaded guilty to possessing a knife in a public place at Nottingham Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (16 July).
He was jailed for a total of 12 months.
Sergeant Matt Daley, of the knife crime team, said:
“Knife carriers will often look to discard a weapon when they are approached by us, with no regard whatsoever to who might later find it.
“Maitland may have thought he could get away with his offending by throwing the knife on the floor and denying it was his.
“However, the DNA evidence recovered left him with little choice but to plead guilty.
“This is exactly the sort of outcome the knife crime team was established to achieve.
“Everything we do as a team is geared towards taking knives off the streets and bringing anyone who carries them to justice.
“There is never any excuse for anyone to be carrying a blade in public. It puts themselves and anyone they come into contact with at risk of harm.
“As this incident also highlights it can very quickly lead to you being put behind bars.”
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