A PRISONER has thanked a police officer who arrested him for carrying a knife – because he had been about to use the blade to end his own life.
David Kirsop was stopped in the street in South Shields, and found to be carrying a lock-knife in the pocket of his jeans.
The 26-year-old, of Priory Road, Jarrow, admitted having a bladed article, and has spent almost two months in custody on remand.
His barrister, Katherine Dunn, told Newcastle Crown Court: “What he was intending to do on that day was take his own life.
“In the words of the defendant, he is thankful for the officer who found him that day, because the officer has actually saved his life.
“He is a desperate man, a troubled man who clearly has mental health problems.”
Kirsop wept in the dock as Miss Dunn told the court how he had tried to commit suicide in the past, and has been found on a cliff edge attempting to jump off.
Miss Dunn said Kirsop had planned to take his life on the day he was arrested last November because he had split up with his girlfriend, who he considered was his “rock”.
Mr Recorder Phillips sentenced Kirsop to 26 weeks’ imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, with a six-month alcohol treatment requirement. The judge told him: “You clearly do need professional help.”