In short:
A British man who carried a 20cm replica Legend of Zelda sword in the streets of Nuneaton as a “fidget” toy has been sentenced to jail.
Police say Anthony Bray claimed the sword was a “fidget” he had bought online to keep his hands busy.
What’s next?
Bray was sentenced at Leamington Spa Magistrates Court to four months jail and was required to pay a victims surcharge of £154 ($AU 292).
A British man who carried a 20 centimetre replica Legend of Zelda sword in public as a “fidget” toy has been sentenced to four months in jail.
Anthony Bray, 48, was stopped by police in Nuneaton, east of Birmingham, on June 8 after CCTV footage showed Bray carrying something suspicious.
Officers approaching Bray soon saw he was carrying a blade, and he was arrested, a police statement released this week said.
Police say Bray claimed the sword—an imitation of the Master Sword from the popular Nintendo game— was a “fidget” he had bought online to keep his hands busy.
A fidget is a small toy intended to help individuals, traditionally for those who are neurodiverse, to concentrate.
“Officers tried to explain to Bray that, despite its intended purpose, it 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,” the statement said.
Despite admitting the sword could be threatening, Bray told police during his interview he would not have used it as a weapon.
Sergeant Spellman of the Warwickshire Patrol Investigations Unit said police had “zero tolerance to bladed articles in public”.
“Bray has fallen afoul of this,” they 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 was sentenced at Leamington Spa Magistrates Court to four months in jail and was required to pay a victims surcharge of £154 ($292).