AN airline passenger who sparked an alert after he was found with five flick-knives in his luggage when he arrived in the North-East, has criticised the security at two other airports that failed to discover the weapons.

Peter Michael Enguita was charged under the Aviation Security Act for possession of an offensive weapon and appeared before Darlington magistrates yesterday.

The court heard that although he was detained at Durham Tees Valley Airport, he had been allowed to walk unchallenged through airports in Thailand and Holland.

Enguita, who said the knives were novelty lighters brought as gifts for his friends, was told he was stupid and naive to carry them onto a plane.

The 46-year-old, of The Ladle, Middlesbrough, pleaded guilty to two charges of carrying the weapons into the UK and was fined £600.

They included one in his hand luggage and another four in the plane's cabin.

After the case, Enguita said he had been oblivious to the danger of the knives.

"I didn't think about the knives. I later realised it was stupid," he said. "I should have been stopped much earlier. They should have taken the knives off me."

David Maddison, prosecuting, had earlier told the court the knives had one-and-a-half inch serrated blades.

Enguita had bought them, on holiday in Bangkok, for work colleagues and had boarded planes in Thailand, and at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, without being stopped.

Officers at Durham Tees Valley Airport made the discovery after searching his luggage.

When cautioned and arrested he said: "They are just lighters."

Mr Maddison said: "He knew there were flick-knives in them, but did not think they would be classed as dangerous because the blades were so small."

Graham Brown, representing Enguita, who shook visibly during the hearing, said that his client had bought the £2 lighters for colleagues, who were fishermen and smokers. There was no intent to use them on the plane.

Mr Brown said: "He did not realise it would cause the fury it has. It was a naive act on his part because there was no suggestion that my client would cause injury to any party."

Magistrates fined him a total of £600, plus £43 costs and ordered he pay a £15 surcharge to Victim Support.

Chairman of the bench Maria Waller said: "We think this was stupid and naive rather than criminal. Nevertheless, it is a very serious offence to carry something like this in the cabin of an aircraft."