Anthony Bray, 48, of Nuneaton in England, is off to jail for four months for possession of a prohibited knife: a six-inch Legend of Zelda-branded "figdet toy". Police conceded that was its intended purpose, but said it still had a functional blade and was a potential weapon.
Warwickshire Police spotted Bray on June 8 via CCTV walking down the street with something in his hand. Bray was said to have approached officers with the item visible in his hand, at which point he was arrested as he was carrying a bladed article.
Bray subsequently claimed the Master Sword was a "fidget" — something to keep his hands busy — that he had bought online. But police said that because it was a sharply pointed item, it could be used as a weapon, and "put others in fear of it being used against them."
If it seems a comical story from Knifecrime Island—what's he going to do with it, open a letter?—making a show of it in public appears to have been the real offense. As Sergeant Spellman of Warwarkshire Police put it:
"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."
Look what you made us do! Keep it in your pocket, sir.
Britain and its media is obsessed with knives, but the problem seems much worse in other developed nations. A presentation of UN data claims the U.K. has the lowest per-capita rate of stabbing deaths in the world.
Of course, American readers, you're more than welcome [Amazon]
