Preston man, 34, sent back to jail after being caught with tear gas spray in the street
A hooded man caught with a tear gas spray in the street has been jailed by a judge in Preston.
Dale Watts admitted possessing the weapon, classed as a firearm, when he appeared before a judge at the city’s Crown Court.
The 34-year-old said he had been carrying the canister for protection because he was sleeping rough under a bridge after being released from prison.
But, sending him back to jail, Recorder Ayesha Siddiqi told him: “You know you should not have had it, you know the harm it causes.
“You might have had it for self-defence, but you can’t do that. You can’t have these type of weapons in your possession.”
The court heard police received an anonymous 999 call in the early hours saying a window had been smashed at a dog grooming salon in Burnley and a man dressed in black, wearing a hood and mask, had been seen inside with a torch.
When they arrived the salon was empty, but an officer spotted Watts who matched the description given on Padiham Road in the town.
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When searched police found a torch, a balaclava, a quantity of cannabis and a “PAVA-like” gas canister.
The spray is a prohibited weapon under the Firearms Act.
Watts was said in court to have number of previous convictions including two for possessing bladed weapons in 2019 and 2022.
He had been sent to jail for five years in 2022 for robbery but had been released on licence at the time of the latest offence.
After his arrest for possessing the spray he had been recalled to prison to complete the robbery sentence and was not due for release until May 2026.
Watts opted not to have legal representation, despite advice from the judge, and decided to defend himself. But all he said in court was: “I just want to be sentenced.”
He agreed he had only acquired the gas for protection.
Recorder Ms Siddiqi said that even though the gas was only for self-defence there was an intention to use it “should it be necessary.”
She told Watts: “You were homeless when you were released from prison and living under a bridge. That’s why you said you had a balaclava and torch with you, but that doesn’t make it right.”
She said the offences were so serious that they warranted a custodial sentence.
Watts, of Albert Street, Burnley, was given four weeks for possession of the gas canister and two weeks for having cannabis. Both sentences will run alongside his current prison recall term.