A 'GOOD samaritan' who stopped to help out at a road accident in Draughton had a knuckle-duster in his jacket, heard Skipton Magistrates' Court.

Usman Hussain, 22, was travelling in a car with his father on February 9 when they stopped at the scene of a collision between two cars on the A65 at Draughton, the court heard.

Police officers, called out to the accident, were speaking to Hussain when they spotted a knuckle-duster in his jacket as he reached for his car keys.

He told police he had been 'jumped on' a couple of times and needed the knuckle-duster for self-defence.

Hussain, who admitted being in possession of an offensive weapon, had been bullied at school, had left with few qualifications and had got the knuckle duster to protect himself - although it was doubtful he would ever use it.

The court heard in mitigation, he was a man of previous good character and had only stopped on the day because he had wanted to help a woman driver involved in the collision who was in distress.

Magistrates told Hussain, of Gipton Wood Road, Leeds, that it was a very serious matter and gave him a 12 month community order with 50 hours unpaid work. He will also have to pay £85 costs and £60 surcharge. A forfeiture and destruction order was made on the knuckle-duster.