A man found with a work knife in the glovebox of his car late at night was recently invited to make a donation to the court poor box.
Shir Changizy (49) with an address at St Gabriel’s, Flat 1, Tramore Road, Waterford, appeared before Judge John Cheatle at Waterford District Court this month. He was charged with possession of a knife in a public place, relating to an incident that occurred in 2025.
The court heard that after 12 midnight on 4 October, 2025, Gardaí became suspicious of a car that was parked in Jenkins Lane car park, Waterford city.
Gardaí spoke to a man, identified as the accused, and after conducting a search, they found a red-handled kitchen knife in the glovebox of his car. It was heard that the accused had “no reasonable excuse” for having the item at that time of night, and he was subsequently charged.
It was noted that he has one previous conviction for an unrelated matter.
Acting for the defendant, solicitor Ken Cunningham said that his client admitted to Gardaí that he used the knife for his work as a tiler, but had not worked for two weeks at the time of the incident. The solicitor added that the knife can be used to open bags of grout or adhesive, and was also used by the accused for making lunches.
Judge Cheatle invited the accused to make a €100 donation to the court poor box indicating that if this is paid, the matter will be struck out.
Mr. Cunningham indicated that his client is seeking for the knife to be returned by the Gardaí and Sergeant Michael Hickey said that he would arrange for it to be brought to a court sitting on 3 December 2026, when it can be collected by the accused.
Funded by the Court Reporting Scheme Robyn Power
