A LONDON teenager carrying a 430ml bottle of ammonia after allegedly cleaning his ex-girlfriend’s bathroom was jailed by a district judge who said his story “lacked credibility”.

Self-proclaimed pacifist Aaron Edwards, 19, was stopped by a British Transport Police officer for another matter at Colchester North Station when a body search uncovered a bottle in his possession.

Edwards told PC Garnham the bottle contained ammonia but he denied possessing a weapon for the discharge of noxious liquid or gas.

Giving evidence in Colchester Magistrates’ Court, Edwards told District Judge John Woollard he did not know it was a prohibited item or was aware of its dangers.

The teenager said he had been travelling from Wivenhoe where he had been helping to clean his ex’s bathroom tiles.

It was upright in a zipped coat pocket rather than his rucksack because the lid had become damaged after falling in the bath, he claimed.

Edwards also disputed a pin prick the officer said was visible at the top of the bottle lid, which had a nozzle underneath.

He said: “I have no fear for my life. I’ve never been in trouble for a violent crime.

“I had a clean history until the series of events that led to my arrest.”

The hospitality worker, of Addington Grove, London, added violence goes against his beliefs adding: "I’m a pacifist."

However, Judge Woollard said the teenager’s story “lacked credibility”.

When he was arrested in 2017, Edwards responded with no comment to all questions during his police interview despite claiming to have a receipt for the item.

This, and the fact the teenager never thought to wrap the bottle in its original plastic bag, led Judge Woollard to say he had no doubt the ammonia was intended as a potential weapon.

He found Edwards guilty and imposed a six-month custodial sentence in a Young Offenders Institution.

He added: "This is a fearsome weapon, concealed but ready to use as weapon if necessary.

“The effects of ammonia are too well known to need explaining to you or anyone else.

“Although you’re not accused of brandishing it, you had no excuse for carrying it.

“At the time you’d been on bail and had absconded from that bail which is a seriously aggravating feature.

“The message has to be clear this is a fearsome weapon. If anyone carries an item like this they must have a custodial sentence.”

Edwards, who has one previous conviction for a drug matter as a youth, was also ordered to pay £115 victim surcharge and £200 in prosecution costs.