A man with nunchucks in his car told the courts they were toys for his dog and not intended to be used as a weapon.

Police stopped and searched Tomasz Lachowski's BMW on March 4, where they found the martial arts equipment next to the driver's seat.

Plain-clothed officers had followed the 41-year-old's car to Riverside Drive, Esher, where he and a friend got in a small boat that left the area and returned half an hour later.

Lachowski, of Fleetside, West Molesey, was found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon in a public place at Staines Magistrates' Court on Monday, June 1.

He told the court, through a court-appointed Polish translator, he had owned the nunchucks for about seven years after being sent them as a present.

They had been up in his living room, but he said after retuning from Poland he found them on the wall of his 16-year-old son's bedroom and decided to take them as a toy for his Staffordshire bull terriers, to prevent his son hurting himself.

He said they were stuffed next to the driver's seat because "I don't like anything in the car makes noise when I'm driving. That's the only place where it was not moving".

Prosecuting, Craig Warsarna said there was plenty of alternative storage options in Lachowski's large car and suggested the nunchucks were deliberately placed there to be within easy reach.

Lachowski said he did not know how to use the nunchucks and the only reason they were in the car was for the dogs. Mr Warsarna raised the point the weapon had no tug or teeth marks and had not yet been used by the dogs.

He asked why, when Lachowski has had dogs for at least three years, he was yet to use the nunchucks as a toy.

Lachowski said: "They do like playing with each other, they are like children. I'm buying them different type of toys.

"I decided that that would be a good object. I decided this would be a suitable toy and they would have a lot of fun with it and enjoy it."

Mr Warsarna said: "You think it would be a good idea to take a weapon to a park."

Lachowski repeated: "It was meant to be a toy for the dogs."

Mr Warsarna pressed the point: "How would people feel if they saw you walking to a park with a weapon?

"It's not a logical thought to do to take a weapon to a park and I'm going to suggest that it wasn't your intention."

Nicola Hicks, defending, insisted Lachowski had been honest about his intentions to use the nunchucks for his dogs and had not intended to use them as a weapon.

Lead magistrate Susan Bower said: "He has said from the start that he took them as a toy for his dogs but we do not accept that.

"He has had dogs for a least three years and the nunchucks for seven years but they have not been used by the dogs for this stated purpose. We find Mr Lachowski guilty."

Sentencing was adjourned until Wednesday, June 3, for a pre-sentence report to be prepared.