A SOUTHAMPTON man was caught with a knife which he claimed he was using to clean golf clubs.

Robert Kilgour was caught with the crafting blade in Vespasian Road in Bitterne, Southampton.

He told police he had used the knife to clean golf clubs and had forgotten he had left it in his pocket.

Earlier this year he was given a suspended sentence, with 100 hours of unpaid work, after pleading guilty to possession of a knife.

But Kilgour was hauled before Southampton Crown Court again on Monday, after failing to show up for several of his unpaid work days in June.

The court heard Kilgour had initially co-operated with the probation service and completed more than 20 hours of unpaid work.

But he stopped attending at the end of June, causing a breach in his suspended sentence.

Mitigating for Kilgour, Eve Shelley said the 37-year-old had stopped because of concerns for his safety.

She told the court that the issue related to a public order incident involving the new partner of his ex-girlfriend.

She added the Kilgour had been unable to contact his new offender manager, after a change in personnel, despite a number of attempts.

Ms Shelley said Kilgour, of Farringford Road, Thornhill, was “motivated” to comply with his order and urged Judge Nicholas Rowland to follow the recommendation of probation and not send him to prison.

Judge Rowland ordered Kilgour, who admitted breaching his suspended sentence order, to complete an extra 40 hours of unpaid work.