His crime was to try to take a concealed knife into the Albury courthouse.

McGrath claimed he had forgotten he had the knife, realising his folly only when court security staff detected it during routine scans.

The weapon was designed to look like a credit card.

Magistrate Tony Murray told McGrath in Albury Local Court that he had to go to Albury police within hours to help them identify the store that sold him the weapon.

If he didn’t, there was a strong chance he was going to jail.

McGrath, 31, of Cogdell Street, Albury, pleaded guilty this week to possessing a knife on court premises.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Shannon Lewis explained to the court that McGrath’s concealed knife was a prohibited weapon because it was made to resemble an ordinary item.

Mr Murray asked McGrath to reveal where he bought the knife.

“I don’t know the name of the shop. It was at Centro Lavi’,” he replied.

Mr Murray then asked McGrath whether he would be able to identify the store for police from Albury’s  targeted action group.

He told McGrath it would assist in his sentencing, possibly getting him out of being jailed.

“Do you wish to do that?” he asked McGrath.

“Yes your honour,” he said, to which Mr Murray commented that McGrath had made a “very sensible” decision.

Mr Murray said there was “very much” a need to have such weapons removed from the community.

He then again warned McGrath that he had committed a “very serious” offence, as it could attract a jail sentence given it involved taking a knife into court.

Police facts tendered to the court revealed McGrath was carrying the knife when he entered the courthouse on July 21 at 10.20am.

The knife was detected when McGrath went through the court’s security screening area.

McGrath was at court that day to support a family member.

He told police who attended soon afterwards that the knife was used for fishing “and he had forgotten he had it in his wallet”.

Whoever sold the knife, Mr Murray said, was not permitted to do so given it was a prohibited weapon.

Mr Murray ordered a pre-sentence report for McGrath.

McGrath will be sentenced on October 15.