Dale Watts, 34, claimed CS gas was for protection while homeless, facing charges in court.
The prosecutor, Thomas Bramall, said police got a tip last year about someone breaking windows at “Doggy Style” on Rose Grove Lane. The person was inside with a light.
An officer spotted a man on Padiham Road who fit the caller’s description. The officer stopped the man to search him, finding cannabis and related items. They also found a small canister with a red spray trigger, which tests confirmed was a trigger.
Mr. Bramall said Watts spoke to the police, stating he carried the gas for protection because he was homeless and slept under a bridge.
The judge, Ayesha Siddiqi, asked about the canister, and Watts asked, “A knife, or this?”. He declined to comment on the cannabis charge but agreed with the pre-sentence report.
Watts said he had told the judge everything and was ready for sentencing before. The judge gave him time to find a lawyer because he wanted the sentencing finished.
Judge Siddiqi said Watts could have used it but didn’t think he had criminal intent. Watts, who lived on Albert Street, Burnley, got four weeks in jail, and that sentence runs with his current sentence.