UK man jailed for four months for carrying 6-inch Zelda Master Sword in public
A UK man has been jailed for four months for carrying a 6-inch Master Sword replica in public.
48-year-old Anthony Bray was arrested in Nuneaton, Warwickshire after CCTV operators notified police that he was carrying something in his hand and walking around Nuneaton town centre with it held out in front of him.
As Bray approached officers, they saw he was holding a miniature replica of the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda games.
The miniature contains a 6-inch blade, which can be unsheathed at the press of a button.
Police arrested Bray – who appears to have a string of past offences, including burglary – for carrying a bladed article, despite his claims that the sword was purchased as a fidget toy.
In the UK, it’s illegal to carry most knives or any weapons in public without good reason, with the main exception being folding pocket knives with blades no longer than 3 inches.
Although Bray admitted that the replica could have been considered threatening if other members of the public saw it, he insisted he would have never used it as a weapon.
Nevertheless, he was sentenced to four months in prison and ordered to pay a victims’ surcharge of £154.
“We take a zero tolerance to bladed articles in public, and Bray has fallen afoul of this,” Sgt Spellman of Warwickshire Police’s Patrol Investigations Unite said in a statement.
“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.”
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