Teenager sentenced after carrying machete on Telford street

A teenager from Leegomery has been handed a suspended prison sentence after being caught with a machete in a public place.

Aranpal Dhillon, 18, of Acacia Drive, appeared before Telford Magistrates’ Court on 20 March 2026 to face charges following an incident in the town last month.

The court heard that on 15 February 2026, Dhillon was found on Britannia Way in Hadley, in possession of the offensive weapon without lawful authority or reasonable excuse. During the same incident, he was also found to be in possession of a quantity of cannabis, a controlled drug of Class B.

Dhillon pleaded guilty to both the possession of the machete and the drug offence. Magistrates noted that his guilty pleas were taken into account during sentencing.

For the possession of the offensive weapon, Dhillon was sentenced to four months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

The court stated that the offence was so serious that only a custodial sentence could be justified. As part of the suspended sentence order, he must comply with instructions from a responsible officer to attend appointments or participate in activities for up to 25 days.

The court also ordered the deprivation of Dhillon’s rights to the machete and the forfeiture and destruction of the cannabis.

While no separate penalty was issued for the drug possession, Dhillon was ordered to pay £85.00 in costs to the Crown Prosecution Service.