A MAN who imported knives and weapons from the Far East has been given a suspended jail sentence, after telling a court they were for his personal collection.

Nick Lawrence sent parcels containing flick knives, butterfly knives and knuckle dusters to his Westbury home when he was on holiday in Thailand.

But the packages were intercepted before they left the country and when they arrived in the UK, where they were handed over to the police.

Rob Welling, prosecuting, told Swindon Crown Court how the Royal Thai Customs spotted the packages in March.

He said they let them though and they were intercepted in Coventry on two dates in early April.

When they were opened one was found to have 12 knives and other items and the other nine butterfly knives, a knuckle duster and flick knives.

He said police went to arrest Lawrence and at his family home they found an array of other weapons.

Mounted on the walls and in display cabinets they found Samurai swords, knuckledusters and throwing stars, as well as a variety of knives and daggers.

Lawrence, of Bashkir Road, Westbury, admitted the fraudulent import of the prohibited weapons .

The court heard he had previous convictions for importing a class C drug and also for possessing cannabis with intent to supply.

Jon Lewis, defending, said that while prosecutors claimed he posted the items to avoid customs, that was not the case and that he had realised his bags would be too heavy if he brought them home himself so thought it would be cheaper to post them.

While island hopping with his girlfriend he said he had carried them through various airports without any trouble, and been told he could take them home.

Lawrence claimed the police evidence about the weapons at his home helped him, as it showed he was a collector and had no intention of selling or passing them on.

In the past he said he had suffered drug addiction, which led to his previous convictions, but he had beaten that and is now in work.

“All the evidence is these were destined for another space on his bedroom wall. He has other knuckledusters on his wall,” Mr Lewis said.

Passing sentence Judge Tim Mousley QC said “You brought in to this country, by sending them through the post, a substantial quantity of knives including lock knives, flick knives, butterfly knives, a knuckle duster, and nun chucks.

“You had bought them when you were on holiday in Thailand in March and you posted them so that they arrived in this country on two separate occasions. This is a very serious offence, and you know that.

“I accept on your part you had no intention to sell these or give them to others and your intention was to keep them as you had kept other similar items over the years.

“But this was a substantial quantity of these items and the type of knives speaks for itself.

“These are the type of weapons which were described by Lord Justice Thomas, as he then was, as being ‘evil’ weapons with very serious potential use.

“And if any of these had got in to the wrong hands, regardless of how remote a possibility that is, the potential for causing very serious injury is obvious.”

He imposed a 16-month jail term suspended for two years with 15 days of rehabilitation activity requirement and a thinking skills programme.