A MAN told security staff he needed knives to protect himself after picking them up from a supermarket’s household department and walking around with them.

Balihar Singh, 39, appeared in the dock for sentencing at Glasgow Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to having an offensive weapon - three knives - in a public place.

The incident happened at Tesco in Annick Street, Shettleston in Glasgow’s East End on November 24, last year.

The Procurator Fiscal depute told the court that Singh was with another man when he entered the store.

Tesco security staff were then informed that the two men were in the store behaving suspiciously.

They observed Singh in the household aisle picking up two kitchen knives in a packet.

He was then observed in the phone shop and at the deli counter holding the knives.

He was approached at the deli counter by security staff who saw that one of the knives had been removed from the packaging.

They removed the knives from him and he said he needed them to protect himself.

Some time later, he returned to the store again and selected another knife.

The Procurator Fiscal depute told the court that Singh was again met by the same security staff who escorted him outside the store.

Singh’s defence agent opened his mitigation by saying that the offence was “clearly a troubling incident”.

He explained that his client’s former business associate was involved in criminality and had been convicted for 13 years.

The court heard that in the weeks leading up to this incident, he was released from custody and Singh was concerned about his safety.

Singh’s defence agent added that his client had now addressed these matters.

Singh, of Beechwood Road, Birmingham, was told he must complete 120 hours of unpaid work in the community within 12 months.

This was reduced from 160 hours because he plead guilty at the earliest opportunity.