A MAN who tried to illegally import knuckleduster knives from China to Southend to give to his dad “as an ornament” has been jailed.

Harry Lee claimed he did not know it was illegal to import weapons such as knuckledusters to the UK, despite sending the weapons to a Southend address that was not his own.

The 25-year-old of Percy Cottis Road, Rochford, sent the package to a property in Burleigh Court, Southend, which was intercepted in September last year.

Basildon Crown Court heard that a UK Border Force officer based at the Royal Mail investigations and logistics centre in Berkshire had found the suspicious package on September 1.

The court heard that Lee volunteered himself for interview with the police, and had he not come forward, he may have never been charged or jailed.

Prosecuting, Matthew Morgan said: “It was addressed to a female in Burleigh Court, Southend and not his address.

“He opened the package and inside there were two blue cardboard boxes within the outer packaging. He found two knuckledusters and knives.

“The package had been sent from China through the Netherlands.

“What then happened was police attended on September 16 at the address and spoke to the female there.

“She denied all knowledge of the package and offence.

“After that, the defendant made a phone call to the police station and said he wanted to be interviewed in relation to two knuckleduster type weapons.

“He was asked about the weapons and he said they were a present for his father and they would be placed on his father’s wall.

“He said ‘they looked terrible, my dad likes them and he likes them as ornaments’.”

Mr Morgan said that Lee has a history of offences involving weapons.

Mitigating, Karl Voltz said: “He was proactive in talking to the police.

“He invited his own arrest and opened himself to criminal proceedings.

“If he hadn’t done that he might not have been apprehended.

“It might have been in bad taste but there was no intention to take them out onto the streets to use them.”

Recorder Sandeep Kainth said immediate custody was the only option for Lee, and jailed him for 14 months.