A Sydenham man who was found with a bottle of ammonia at a train station tried to claim it was for cleaning his girlfriend’s bathroom.

Aaron Edwards, from Addington Grove, was stopped by British Transport Police officers at Colchester North station in Essex after attempting to travel to London without a ticket.

Officers searched the 19-year-old and found he was carrying the bottle of ammonia in the waistband of his trousers.

The lid of the bottle had a hole in the top so it could be sprayed.

He was arrested and charged with possession of an offensive weapon, appearing at Colchester Magistrates’ Court on March 26.

It was there he tried to protest his innocence with the claim that it was just for cleaning his girlfriend’s bathroom, but the magistrates didn’t swallow his claim and hit him with a six-month jail sentence.

PC Daniel Garnham said: “Young people carrying acid in a public place is a worrying trend and the man-made hole in the bottle cap proved that it had been adapted for use as a weapon.

“It has been well documented that acid used in this way has the potential to cause life-changing injuries and so I’m glad the courts saw fit to give this individual a custodial sentence.

“It shows we will not tolerate people who threaten the safety of passengers on the railway.”

Edwards was also ordered to pay £115 victim surcharge and £200 costs.