A MAN caught with a knife in public for a fourth time - while at an Oxford job centre - is again behind bars.

Jason Stanmore refused to turn up to his sentencing hearing after a court judge said the prison inmate was 'off his head' at the time.

Prison officers from HMP Bullingdon appeared instead via videolink at Oxford Crown Court to say that the 33-year-old was 'under the influence' and had refused to come down from the wing to the video booth.

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As a result his sentencing hearing carried on in his absence yesterday after Stanmore had already admitted one count of having a bladed article.

Outlining the case at the hearing prosecutor Cathy Olliver said Stanmore was initially found by police on February 20 this year at a job centre in Oxford.

Officers had been hunting for him after a warrant was issued for his arrest and he was duly taken to Abingdon police station.

When he was searched at the station he was found by police to have in his possession a locking Stanley knife.

That knife was found to be concealed inside a jacket pocket.

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He went on to tell officers that he only had the blade 'to cut food tins' and he claimed he didn't know that carrying that type of knife was unlawful.

Prosecutors also revealed at the sentencing hearing that Stanmore has dozens of previous convictions.

In total he has 22 convictions to his name, made up of 55 separate offences.

He also has three individual crimes in his past involving the possession of bladed articles without lawful authority.

In 2017, he was jailed for having a machete and for having a 'large bread fork'.

He was also jailed on a third occasion for a total of 12 months for having a large military type lock knife.

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In mitigation at yesterday's hearing Christopher Pembridge said that the knife remained concealed in Stanmore's pocket while at the job centre.

He said the knife would not have been visible to any members of the public.

Mr Pembridge said: "His account is he was using it to cut food tins.

"It seems that there is no intention to use it against other people directly."

He added that his client 'co-operated with police, giving full and frank admissions at interview' and added that the knife was 'very small' with a blade length measuring one inch.

The court also heard that Stanmore had previously been the victim of a stabbing himself.

Sentencing, Judge Peter Ross said: "He is a young man but he has a significant, lengthy and serious criminal record."

He added that Stanmore had pleaded guilty at the first opportunity and so would be afforded a one third discount in the final jail term.

Stanmore was ultimately jailed for a total of eight months and he was ordered to pay a statutory victim surcharge.