A FORMER Grenadier Guard who took a kitchen knife into a cafe and then tried to escape from police on a bicycle has been jailed.

Burnley Crown Court heard how Anthony Paul Quinn, who has a house in Accrington but spends a large amount of time camping in the woods, had a number of previous convictions for possessing knives and offensive weapons.

And at around 10.30am on August 24 police were called to the Victoria Mill Cafe in Accrington after a member of staff reported seeing a man in possession of a knife.

Prosecuting, Rachel Faux said officers went to the scene to arrest the 57-year-old and saw him on a bike.

When they told him to stop Quinn, who served in the Grenadier Guards before fighting in the Balkans against the Serbs, ignored them and carried on cycling.

Quinn was eventually pulled off the bike and onto the ground.

Ms Faux said the officer feared Quinn may be in possession of a weapon saw drew a Taser on him.

Quinn complied with the officer’s request to put his hands up but when asked where the knife was he replied: “I am not sure where I have put it. I think I have put it in the garden of my old house.”

But while he was being searched Quinn, of Nuttall Street, Accrington, admitted it was in a sheath attached to his braces.

He told officers he had borrowed the knife from a friend to use while fishing. Quinn, who occasionally works as a roofer, said he had put the knife in the sheath because he feared accidentally stabbing himself if he had fallen off his bike while it was in his pocket.

Ms Faux said Quinn was arrested and charged and subsequently pleaded guilty to possessing an article with a blade or point when he appeared at the crown court on August 24. He was released on bail for the preparation of a pre-sentence report but failed to turn up for his sentencing hearing on November 24.

A bench warrant was issued for Quinn’s arrest and he appeared in court in December where he pleaded guilty to failing to surrender to custody. The case was adjourned to January 26 and after being given bail Quinn again failed to attend court.

Quinn, who has 28 convictions for 63 offences, was arrested on Sunday and appeared before Recorder Marc Willems QC and pleaded guilty to a second charge of failing to surrender to custody.

Bob Elias, defending, said his client had been ‘left to fall through the cracks’ with regards to his mental health since leaving the army and had chosen to live an alternative lifestyle. He said his client hadn’t threatened anyone with the knife but needed to understand it was inappropriate to be carrying it in public.

Mr Elias said: “He us a man who has been of service to the state and his country as a Grenadier Guardsman. Then a soldier for other armies in the Balkans fighting against the Serbs. It is a matter of real concern that people who have fought for their country quite often seem to fall through the grid of civilian life and don’t adapt to a civilian existence.”

He added: “Those individuals who serve our country deserve respect. He is not a dangerous individual. He is an individual who has an alternative way of life than the one we have. There is no harm in that as long as he obeys the law. He has transgressed the law here and he understands that. It is impossible not to have some sympathy with him.”

Recorder Willems said he took no pleasure in jailing Quinn to six months but said he was restricted by the sentencing guidelines.

He also made a forfeiture order for the knife.