A man has been sentenced to 14 months’ imprisonment for threatening a fellow passenger with a knife on the London underground.

Daniel Rode, aged 36, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court to one count of possession of a knife blade / sharply pointed article in a public place.

He was sentenced at the same court on 16 November to 14 months’ imprisonment, ordered to pay a victim surcharge and forfeiture and destruction of the knife ordered.

He will also be deported to Poland once he has served his sentence.

On Christmas Eve 2015, the victim, a 39-year-old man boarded a Jubilee line train from Neasden station at around 1.30pm.

Rode was on the train, drinking and being a nuisance to other passengers.

The victim inadvertently caught Rode’s eye and Rode then moved to sit down next to him.

Rode began throwing rubbish at the victim and threatening to kill him. He then produced a lock knife from his pocket.

The victim alighted at Green Park station and so did Rode.

The victim informed a member of staff what had happened and alerted police.

As Rode left the station he dropped the knife on the escalator; the victim collected this knife and handed it to British Transport Police, who were able to identify Rode from DNA recovered from the knife.

Investigating officer, DC Helen Parsfield, said: “The DNA on the knife was key to linking Rode to the crime, along with a photograph that the victim had taken of him on his phone. Rode initially pleaded not guilty, but changed his plea halfway through his trial.

“Rode was also being handled by the Metropolitan Police Op Nexus team and during his time on remand for this crime, they were able to gather sufficient evidence of his previous offending to successfully apply for an IS91 which will allow the Home Office, at the conclusion of his sentence, to remove him from the country and return him to Poland.”