“He’s carrying around a throwing knife to defend himself. He has one use only, [if he] throws it and he misses?” Mr Day said.

However, Mr Day said the shoplifting charge from May 18 was of more concern, and he sentenced Michael Downie, 35, formerly of Margaret Street, to seven months’ jail, with a three-month non-parole period.

“He brazenly took some board shorts that were on display,” Mr Day said.

“I say brazen because he was convicted of stealing a phone from the same shop. People there knew him and chased him down.

“He’s a recidivist shop-stealer [to whom] specific deterrence doesn’t seem to be effective.”

Downie’s solicitor Gerry Stapleton said his client had been in custody as a remand prisoner since he was arrested for the offences on May 31, so Mr Day backdated the jail sentence to that date, meaning Downie will be eligible for parole on August 30.

“I won’t supervise his parole because he’s moving inter-state to assist with his son,” Mr Day said.

Mr Stapleton said Downie had the knife for self-defence because he had previously been hit on the back of the head with a tomahawk, which required 34 staples to his head, and he was hit with an iron bar during an assault.

He received a three-year good-behaviour bond for the knife. 

He also gave him a two-year good behaviour bond because police suspected the SCOTT Speedster S50 bike Downie was riding had been stolen.

“He was asked about the bike he was riding because it was a SCOTT brand bike, [they were] working of information that a number of bikes [of that type] had been stolen in the Orange area,” Mr Day said.

At the same time as the other charges were made Downie was also found in possession of 1.2 grams cannabis, for which Mr Day gave him a 12-month good-behaviour bond.