A 32-year-old man has been jailed for one year for carrying a “large kitchen knife” around town with the blade sticking out of his back pocket.
Paweł Damian Kwiatkowski pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon in public without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.
The Royal Court heard that Kwiatkowski started drinking at around 18:00 on 11 December 2024.
He arrived at the Mary Rose pub on Mulcaster Street at around 23:00, and came to the attention of staff due to his “disruptive behaviour” towards other patrons.
Kwiatkowski was asked to behave by door staff on multiple occasions, and was eventually asked to leave the premises.
He left the bar “largely without issue” and had a cigarette outside at approximately 01:15 on 12 December 2024.
The Mary Rose door staff described Kwiatkowski as being “intoxicated”.
Police CCTV captured Kwiatkowski leaving the Mary Rose and walking down Mulcaster Street towards the Royal Yacht with a jacket on.
A short time later, CCTV captured Kwiatkowski running back up Mulcaster Street, turning onto Bond Street, and running up New Street towards his house.
Kwiatkowski was out of shot of the CCTV for three minutes, before he was seen jogging back down New Street without his jacket.
The court heard that CCTV then captured Kwiatkowski walking near the Royal Yacht with a knife “clearly visible in his back pocket”, with the blade pointing upwards.
At around 01:20, the Mary Rose door staff noticed Kwiatkowski talking to a member of the public with a knife in his hand.
The door staff called the police, who instructed them to get everyone inside the bar and lock the door.
Police attended the scene and found Kwiatkowski on Pier Road, where he allowed himself to be handcuffed.
He was arrested and cautioned, and officers found a “large kitchen knife” in his possession.
Kwiatkowski told police that he only had the knife for defence and had not attacked anyone, but he did state “if someone attack then boom, I attack”.
During police interview the next day, Kwiatkowski made it clear that he was intoxicated at the time of the incident.
He claimed he did not remember getting the knife, but maintained he had it for self-defence.
Kwiatkowski also stated that he had never carried a knife before in Jersey, but admitted that he had done so in the Netherlands where he had been stabbed in one of his lungs.
He showed significant regret and remorse, and told police he was grateful that they had arrested him as something bad may have happened if they had not.
Kwiatkowski entered a guilty plea during his first appearance in the Magistrate’s Court
on 13 December 2024, before being remanded in custody.
He was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment in the Royal Court on Friday.
The Court also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the knife, but did not make a recommendation for deportation.