A MAN who claimed to have accidentally taken a concealed weapon into a court building has been "sent a message" by a magistrate.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
David Anthony Chemello, 54, of Bridge Street, Perthville pleaded guilty in Bathurst Local Court on March 20, 2024 to possessing a prohibited weapon in court.
Documents tendered to the court state Chemello was at Bathurst Courthouse just after 9am on February 7 with a 'CardSharp' hidden in his wallet.
As Chemello made his way through the screening and metal detector, the sheriffs found the weapon - a single-edged blade concealed within a credit card - in his wallet.
Police arrived a short time later and asked Chemello why he took the item to court.
"It's been in my wallet for about five years," he said.
"I use it now and again for cutting hay bales or bits off rope. I didn't even know it was there."
He was then charged.
Sentence
CHEMELLO, who represented himself before Magistrate Rodney Brender, reiterated that he used the item as a tool and didn't know it was a prohibited weapon.
In order to send Chemello "a message about that", he was convicted and fined $250.
