The Daily Populous Thursday July 4th, 2024 evening edition
Authored by eurogamer.net and submitted by diacewrb

A Legend of Zelda fan has been sentenced to four months in prison, after being found in possession of a small replica of the series' Master Sword whilst out in public.

In June, Nuneaton resident Anthony Bray was arrested for "carrying a bladed article". CCTV operators noticed Bray with the Master Sword replica, which had a total blade length of six inches (see images below).

"The blade was inside a sheath and could be released from the sheath with the press of a button," reads the police press release.

When questioned, Bray said the Master Sword replica was purchased online as a fidget toy. Officers explained that despite this being the intended purpose, the blade "was in fact a sharply pointed item which could be used as a weapon and might put others in fear of it being used against them".

Bray maintained he would not have used the Legend of Zelda sword replica as an actual weapon. Bray did, however, acknowledge it could have been perceived as threatening.

"We take a zero tolerance to bladed articles in public, and Bray has fallen afoul of this," said Sgt Spellman of the Patrol Investigations Unit. "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 is now required to pay a victims' surcharge of £154 in addition to serving the aforementioned prison sentence.

Captainirishy on July 4th, 2024 at 12:43 UTC »

British have a big problem with knife crime, so they are very strict for this type of stuff.

JimboBob on July 4th, 2024 at 11:07 UTC »

It's obviously not a real knife. It has a one inch handle for Christ's sake. Four months? Fuck what an over reaction by the police and courts.

Bokbreath on July 4th, 2024 at 10:10 UTC »

> "We take a zero tolerance to bladed articles in public, and Bray has fallen afoul of this," said Sgt Spellman of the Patrol Investigations Unit. "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."

Priceless. Bet he convinced himself he'd found a loophole.