A REPEAT offender was caught with a kitchen knife in his waistband at Inverclyde Royal Hospital after police found him lying unconscious on a street.

Under the influence Jamie Cook was discovered passed out with his clothes sodden on October 7 last year and concerned officers took him to IRH out of concern for his welfare.

Greenock Sheriff Court heard that a serrated blade was recovered from Cook after an attempt was made to remove his clothes – but the 48-year-old had no recollection of the incident due to his level of intoxication.

At a pre-trial hearing, Cook pleaded guilty to an amended indictment charge of having unlawful possession of the bladed article in a public place without reasonable excuse.

He was originally accused of being in possession of two knives at the hospital and elsewhere.

Procurator fiscal depute Dana Barclay told the court on Tuesday: “He was traced by police witnesses in a heavily intoxicated state and due to concerns over his welfare he was taken into custody.

“A police report describes his clothes as being heavily saturated.

READ MORE: Accused tells trial he 'kissed and cuddled' teen girls but denies 'sexual assaults'

“Officers attempted to remove his clothes and at that time police recovered what is described as a kitchen knife from his waistband.

“Due to his intoxicated state he was not formally cautioned or charged at the time.”

Sheriff David Pender was shown a photo of the knife, but the prosecutor said the police report was "silent in relation to the length of the blade".

Solicitor Rhona Lynch said her client had been awaiting the outcome of a psychiatric assessment.

However, the lawyer said: “At the time of this incident he was heavily inebriated with alcohol and I have no reason to suspect any mental health issues.”

Mrs Lynch added: “This is a very serious matter against the backdrop of a very serious record.

“He was heavily intoxicated with alcohol and has no recollection of this incident.”

The solicitor said that Cook, whose address was noted in court papers as Erskine, had gone to a friend’s house in Paisley before being found by PCs and taken to Greenock police office.

Mrs Lynch added that Cook “deeply regrets finding himself in that position” and has “no idea where he got the knife or what he was doing with it”.

Sheriff Pender told Cook: “Given the nature of the offence and your record there is no doubt that custody is the only option here.”

Cook was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment, reduced from three years due to the timing of his plea.