A MAN caught carrying a crossbow on a Southampton street in the middle of the afternoon has appeared in court.

Gary Hudson was found to be carrying a crossbow on Graham Road on December 8 last year.

Magistrates heard how the 33-year-old carried out the offence just two weeks after he was released from custody, and while "under the influence".

Appearing at Southampton Magistrates' Court, he pleaded guilty to the possession of an offensive weapon in a public place.

Hudson, of no fixed address, was handed a six-month jail term suspended for 12 months.

The crossbow was seized and destroyed and he was ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £128.