A man who was armed with two knives on one of Norwich’s busiest streets has been given a suspended jail sentence.

Robert Puchniarz, 32, had a large green and black hunting knife and another with a serrated blade on Prince of Wales Road on June 10.

Norwich Magistrates’ Court was told he had been arrested after showing the knives to someone who had alerted police. 

He appeared before court via video link from Norwich prison to be sentenced after previously pleading guilty to two counts of possessing a knife in a public place. 

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Annette Hall, mitigating, said: “He did not think through his actions. He accepts he should not have got the knives out to show the complainant.”

She said the warehouse worker had come to the UK legitimately but had become homeless after losing his job.

He had been living in a tent on Norwich’s riverside and used the knives as part of living rough, she added.

Magistrates said his remorse meant they were suspending a six month sentence for 12 months. They ordered him to complete 15 rehabilitation days and 150 hours unpaid work.