A HARLEY-Davidson biker was carrying a bayonet and two lock knives as he rode through Ely in the early hours of the morning. Steve Dean-Needham – who trades in militaria at Waterside Antiques in Ely – was stopped and searched by police because he was ridi

A HARLEY-Davidson biker was carrying a bayonet and two lock knives as he rode through Ely in the early hours of the morning.

Steve Dean-Needham - who trades in militaria at Waterside Antiques in Ely - was stopped and searched by police because he was riding the high powered machine without a crash helmet.

A lock knife with a three-inch blade was clipped to his jacket, city magistrates were told, and an assault rifle bayonet and a two-inch bladed lock knife were also found on the 52-year-old during the incident.

Police also discovered that Dean-Needham's provisional driving licence did not cover him to ride the powerful motorbike, and he had no insurance or MoT certificate for the 1400cc machine.

Dean-Needham, of Gateway Gardens, Ely, admitted possessing the three-inch bladed lock knife in a public place on July 16, and using the Harley Davidson without documents.

The Crown Prosecution Service had accepted that Dean-Needham had the bayonet in relation to his trading and employment, and the three-inch blade had been used during some roofing work, said prosecutor Laura Mardell.

Mitigating, Jacqui Baldwin said the bayonet related to a cabinet Dean-Needham trades from at Waterside Antiques, and the two-inch blade was perfectly lawful.

"He had been working on his own property, the Methodist Chapel in Great Fen Road at Soham, and had been doing some roofing," she explained.

"He went from there to the pub, and had a couple of pints. When he was stopped by the police the knife was in the bag, he had been using it for roofing. It would have been lawful if he had kept it at the premises, but unfortunately he took it with him to the pub, and then back to the address where he was staying. It was no threat to anyone.

"He should not have had it with him; he used it for work, and simply left it in his bag when he went to the pub."

Magistrates ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the three-inch bladed lock knife and the bayonet. Dean-Needham was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work, and pay fines totalling �170 with �60 costs and a �15 surcharge, and eight points were endorsed on his licence.