Sunderland man caught with kitchen knife at metro station after making bizarre confession call to police
A Sunderland man was caught with a large kitchen knife at a rail station after making a bizarre call of confession to police, a court heard.
Dan-Paolo Mortoni, 46, phoned the emergency services and told them his name was David Davison and that he had a blade on Wednesday, November 12. Police raced to South Hylton Metro station where they identified him and found the weapon, prosecutor Marcus Blakelock said.
When interviewed, Mortoni confessed he carried it for his own protection, magistrates in South Tyneside were told. He pleaded guilty to a charge of possession of a bladed article in a public place and his case was adjourned for reports.
Mr Blakelock said: “Police received a call from a David Davison, stating that he was walking around with a knife and had it for protection. He said he wanted the police to know that he would use the knife. They attended and identified him as Mr Mortoni.
“In interview, he said that he carried it for his own protection. He has five previous convictions from 10 offences, the last on March 24, 2021, and none would seem to be relevant to this matter. I would ask for the forfeiture and destruction of the knife and £85 court costs.”
Jonathan Cousins, defending, asked for the case to be adjourned for Mortoni to be assessed for mental health issues. Magistrates agreed and granted Mortoni unconditional bail to be sentenced at the same court on Thursday, April 2.