A hospital patient who was found to be armed with a knife has walked free from court despite 321 previous convictions.
A nurse was helping Craig Nicholson, 43, put his jacket on as he prepared to leave the hospital when she noticed that he had a plastic bag hidden up his sleeve.
When she looked inside, there was a ten inch knife with a six inch blade. The nurse called security at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, and Nicholson was arrested.
