Woman escapes conviction for carrying a knife - after she was spotted handling a sausage

A woman facing up to four years in jail for having a kitchen knife in her car was saved - by a sausage.

As Jane Bellas runs a fast food stall and has to slice bread rolls, she knew she had a legitimate reason for having the knife. But she was unable to prove her occupation to the satisfaction of the authorities.

It left the 29-year-old market trader being dragged through the legal system in a four-month ordeal that ended only when she appeared before a Crown Court judge this week.

It was revealed that she had been seen with a sausage in her hand at the market where she works in Penrith, Cumbria - and only then was it finally accepted that she did indeed run the stall and therefore had a valid reason to have the knife.

Miss Bellas was on her way home from work when she was stopped by police near her home in Penrith in January after officers noticed the knife in her car.

She was charged with having a knife in a public place without good reason, which carries a maximum four years' imprisonment.

Until this week, her lawyers had tried in vain to get the local council to provide proof that she had a licence to operate the stall.

The breakthrough came at Carlisle Crown Court when Tim Evans, prosecuting, told Judge Barbara Forrester of the crucial evidence which had come to light only that morning.

'There had been a complaint against the runner of this particular business that they had been tinkering with a generator while handling a sausage.

'The environmental health team at Penrith took it very seriously and investigated, finding that the person running the business was Miss Bellas. She was plainly associated with the catering business.'

Miss Bellas was formally found not guilty and given £10 to cover her travelling expenses.

One experienced local defence lawyer, John Smith, said the case was 'symptomatic'.

'There's a lack of common sense in the way that laws are being enforced,' he said.

'If they had looked into this in more detail at an earlier stage, it might have been resolved sooner.'

The case is estimated to have cost around £2,000.