MASTER SWORD = 22 cm or 8.6 inches including handle and holster.
We also have very strict knife regulation here (Denmark), but I think if it is a first time offense, he would have gotten off with a fine, since it’s obviously a toy.Seems like a perfect place for role playing games!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwickshire#/media/File:Kenilworth_Castle_(cropped).jpgWiki page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WarwickshireThat’s what all these articles missed, this isn’t a first offense, the man is a known burglar, did 4 years previously
What is the aim of the regulation?
Does it cover dense urban areas only?
Most youths who are involved in crime carry a knife for protection. This means that if the police want to arrest one of them, for whatever reason, they can because they will likely find a knife on them.
I see. Is this pure fear behind it or is there some evidence that the law is beneficial?
But yeah, another good pretext for harassing the young and/or poors.
Reminds of war on drugs until police started doing to the all “children” in the US and that attitude changed pretty quick.
We (Denmark) have 0.9 homicides per 100,000 capita, UK has 1.1 USA has 6.3.
Of course there are other factors, but overall regulation definitely and very evidently helps.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rateThat’s at best a correlation
The image in the article shows the entire thing being 20cm and the actual ‘blade’ portion of the toy being around 13cm long. a little longer than the blade on a pretty standard multi tool like a Leatherman.
Is this seriously what the police were actually concerned about, I understand that it’s different in the UK vs the US, but this is definitely overkill. This thing would need to be pinched between your thumb and index finger like a cigarette to be wielded and is arguably less dangerous than a fork.
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Removed, civility.
How else can one react to a person defending a violent criminal? Maybe you should remove such comments instead.
First, a guy carrying a toy sword is not “a violent criminal”.
Second, even if they were, defending them doesn’t break any of the community rules.
First of all, it’s not a toy sword according to the law. Second, that guy was carrying it unsheathed. Third, he didn’t have a good reason to carry. But fourth, the most important thing, that guy is a known criminal who already served four years for burglary. He broke not a “community rule”, he broke multiple laws and is a known offender.
We aren’t talking about what the guy did, we’re talking about you wanting to remove another users comment for imaginary reasoning.
Nothing in the comment broke the rules, that comment stands.
The reply to it broke the civility rules, it was removed.
You should re-read the original comment then.
Modlog is public… you don’t need to announce the reason separately.
Not everyone knows the modlog is a thing or how to access it.
They’re only allowed to have 7.62 cm, so from a legal standpoint it’s almost twice the legal limit.
If the law doesn’t make sense you don’t challenge it by breaking it.
The police don’t carry guns there so yeah they’re concerned.
Running around twirling a clearly illegal item in public is pretty good logical grounds for police intervention. If the law says 3 in when do you actually stop them is it 4, 10, 12? If he was just transporting it from one house to another they might have let it go. But he’s walking around fidgeting twirling it in the open. I suspect he was performing twirls and dagger tricks. So the general public is probably also a little concerned. If he’s walking around his neighborhood twirling it around all the time it might even been a neighbor that called the police on it.
The fine is reasonable, getting locked up for 4 months is probably a bit much.
Prison? For this?
Just take it away and warn him. How did no one along the way protest the heavy handedness of this?
I agree with your point seeing as how the article dosen’t have this info, but the context that He’s a known burglar, has done at least 4 years in prison and ‘but it’s just a novelty item’ has been a tactic of criminals in England for a long time, it makes more sense why he was busted.
Oh, I guess I was assuming it wasn’t even sharp, like an actual novelty item.
It’s sharp metal, 6in. So roughly hand size, it’s more like a custom figurine type of deal.
At least it didn’t break in the middle of fighting a Lynel.
Four months of prison? It sounds like the man is disconnected from reality but hardly a real threat to society.
gotta throw the book at him to get the numbers up so they look better when it comes to ignoring serious crime.
Seriously. I’ve seen letter openers more threatening than that “sword”. Was it dumb? Sure. Does he deserve a slap the wrist, absolutely. But prison?? No way. What the actual fuck?
The stupid thing is that the UK is literally running out of prison spaces currently so that we are considering letting long term prisioners out on licence early to free up room.
Yet apparently this man needs to have his life turned upsidedown in order to occupy one of those spaces for four months.
The cells are probably crammed full of cosplayers, student protestors and journalists. Remember that massive ruckus and manhunt for thee guy who was wandering around in a gimp suit making people feel uncomfortable?
“Our prisons have never been safer!”
It’s OK though because as soon as the prison guards turn their backs on him he will immediately escape on an eight inch paraglider.
Draconian laws do be like that.
That old man lying motherfucker…
4 months in prison for having a novelty pocket knife
Not for simply having, but for brandishing said bladed device as the police approached. That’s the law, in that city. As the officer said, “It is possible to find fidget toys that aren’t six-inch blades. It is possible not to walk down the street holding them out in front of you. With a bit more self-awareness, Bray could have avoided contact with us completely.” Bray brought this on himself, and could have avoided any contact with the police. He chose otherwise.
Brandish is a stretch nothing in that article noted an intent to intimidate others, it is simple possession of a tchotchke. Unless you count the author’s flavor text.
I’m just reading the article, as you were also able to do, and it says, “On 8 June, officers were made aware via CCTV of a man, Bray, walking down Queens Road, Nuneaton, with the sword in his hand. Bray approached officers with the blade visible, at which point he was arrested.” Bold added for emphasis. If I were out in public in the UK, and if I happened to have a bladed implement, I’d keep it out of sight. Especially if there were police anywhere nearby. But hey, you can do as you please. Have a nice day!
The blade was inside a sheath and could be released from the sheath with the press of a button.
And approached could simply be he was intent on walking past them on the sidewalk.
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And for some reason the prisons are full…
In addition to the four months in prison, he was required to pay a victim surcharge of £154.
So not only was there no victim here but himself he is also now out of work for a minimum of 4 months he’s now out 154 bucks. Fuck this world. Like ya, I get that there is that law for a reason, so sure, maybe give him a fine or better yet community service and then let him be on his way. What they have done benefits no one at all and wastes local resources.
bucks
Quid. We gotta be respectful.
Victim surcharge is just a fine with another name.
It goes to a fund that pays compensation for victims of crimes and £154 is just what you have to pay for any crime that results in you getting a jail sentence of 6 months or below.Sounds reasonable.
victim surcharge of £154.
WHAT VICTIM??? The article says nothing of him doing anything to others. To my knowledge he didn’t attack anyone. There’s no victim!
He is the victim. It’s a charge on him.
Soooooo, either he should get the money, as the victim, or the charge is basically police charging victims money for being victims.
…I feel like I’m missing something here.
This “victim surcharge” would be termed court cost or court fee in the US.
What a strange name if thats the purpose.
I don’t make things up, I just look them up.
Oh, I wasn’t accusing you of lying. I was just saying it’s such a strange name for a charge that has a legitimate purpose, but is named in a way that has nothing to do with that purpose.
Kinda like if you took an uber, and they charged you for the “poopy diaper charge”. And you say nobody on your trip even wore a diaper. So the driver tells you it’s so he can refill his gas in the car.
Good feckin point!
Victims of every crime that has one.
It’s a fund for paying compensation to victims of crime and £154 is just what you have to pay to it if you get jailed for 6 months or below.So when someone does commit a crime that has a payout to a victim, it doesn’t matter if they have money or not as it comes from the fund to the victim first.
Kinda like… If you got hit with an extra vehicle/traffic insurance bill every time you get a speeding ticket or get caught driving drunk, even if you didn’t cause an accident.Oh, ok. Thats a far better description than the other guy said of just “court costs”.
I would say that America needs something like that, but, I just can’t see the money ACTUALLY going to victims. I see some policeman, or politician, or whomever, pocketing it if they tried that here.
I don’t know if this is the same but Sweden have a thing where you pay into a fund that helps victims of crimes. When a criminal gets convicted and has to pay a victim money, the state takes money out of the fund and pay the victim and then the fund tries to get the money from the criminal. This way it doesn’t become the victims problem that the criminal can’t pay.
I feel like he could have been let off with a fine and confiscation where if he would do it again or act provocatively the prison sentence would apply. 4 months in prison is a lot
A suspended prison sentence makes too much sense. Gotta teach this nerd a lesson.
America is stupid for excessive guns. But this is stupid in the other direction. Talk about over policing. Fuck me this is stupid
Damn, Act Man really let himself go.
Some NotTheOnion type shit.
Leave this old nerd alone
If I’d encounter someone wielding a naked 15cm blade, I’d be extremely wary as well. That blade can easily cause serious harm or kill, regardless of being a replica toy or not. Walking around with what is essentially a dagger is reckless. Maybe the sentence is a bit harsh, but that dude deserved being stopped.
Can’t pretty much everything around you cause serious harm or kill??? I don’t understand this stance.
Yes, you’re right everything can cause serious harm or kill, but certain things are designed to harm or kill, or designed to look like something that could harm or kill.
Context is a big factor here. A person holding a 6 inch knife in a kitchen? No one is going to bat an eye. They’re probably using that knife to prep vegetables. Same knife, same person but they are walking around a market/playground/movie theatre? Suddenly it’s a very different situation and context.
Is that stranger with the knife safe? I don’t know, but I do know that I don’t have anything to defend myself aside from what is around me if they ARE NOT a safe person.
There is nothing wrong with running around swinging knives simply because you want to. That’s just freedom, and it’s ok.
I don’t have anything to defend myself
So instead of arming yourself, you’re trying to disarm the rest of the world? Why take that difficult path instead of the easy way?
So instead of arming yourself
Yeah no wonder America is a lost cause in terms of violence. How or why would anyone arm themselves when they’re already in a public place?
To protect yourself and others from crazies. Because crazies can and will use anything and everything as a weapon.
And how come the crazies exist nonetheless and do all that kind of stuff somewhat independently of other people being armed?
Also, these same crazies, in other countries, tend to be unarmed (besides kitchen weapons). Would you prefer to defend against one with a gun or one with a knife?
If someone in those countries is caught in shady circumstances carrying any sort of substantial blade, that person is in trouble. If someone in a “freedom country” is caught carrying a gun under the same shady circumstances, that person walks free as that’s not illegal by itself.
And how come the crazies exist nonetheless and do all that kind of stuff somewhat independently of other people being armed?
A mix of mental health issues and standard human nature.
Would you prefer to defend against one with a gun or one with a knife?
One with a knife. But my preference of enemy arms does not negate that enemy’s right to defend themself with a gun. I’d also prefer that no one ever hurt anyone else, but my preference there cannot be guaranteed.
And yes, correct, in the USA we can have guns.
Public safety.
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