Former Rugby man jailed after being caught at the town’s railway station with a lock knife

A former Rugby man has been jailed after being caught at the town’s railway station with a lock knife he had just collected from his mother’s home.

Jacub Reed-Maule had denied possessing a bladed article in a public place, but changed his plea to guilty at a further hearing at Warwick Crown Court.

Reed-Maule (21) previously of Hollowell Way, Brownsover, Rugby, was jailed for four months – consecutive to nine months of a suspended sentence he was subject to at the time.

Prosecutor William Dudley said that on the afternoon of May 1 attention was drawn to Reed-Maule as he was sitting on a bench on the platform at Rugby railway station.

A station employee asked to see his ticket, which he was reluctant to hand over – and when he did so it turned out to be a child’s ticket, so he was asked to leave.

“He became aggressive and launched an obnoxious tirade of abuse. He was eventually persuaded to leave, and British Transport police were summoned.

“This was during the lockdown, and the officers were not satisfied with his explanation that he was going to Coventry to buy food, and they decided to search him.

“He volunteered he was in possession of ‘a sharp,’ which turned out to be a lock knife,” said Mr Dudley.

When he was arrested Reed-Maule, said he had collected the knife from his mother’s home and was taking it to the hostel in Adelaide Street, Coventry, where he was then living, for his protection.

Mr Dudley added that at the time Reed-Maule was subject to a suspended sentence for assault and a community order for a public order offence.

Robert Tolhurst, defending, pointed out that Reed-Maule had not been arrested because of his public disorder at the station or for having the knife, but for trying to travel on a child’s ticket.

He had been to his mother’s home because she had his bank card, and collected the knife because he felt under threat from members of another family with whom there had been a dispute.

“He had taken the decision to take himself out of Rugby. He was returning to his relatively new accommodation at a hostel in Coventry.”

Recorder Charles Flak told Reed-Maule: “In March 2019 you were given a suspended sentence, and your next conviction in November was for a matter which involved a knife.

“You did not learn from that. You were seen at Rugby railway station at the height of the lockdown.

“I do not sentence you for anything that happened at the station, but when the police were called and you were taken out of the station and your bags were searched, a lock knife was found.

“That was to be used as a weapon for protection, and you had been in possession of a knife before.

“It is aggravated by the fact that you were on a suspended sentence at the time.”