Picked this up on BcUK...
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/conte...A42:58:683
Quote:
Builder Colin Read was held for police questioning, had his fingerprints, DNA and mug-shot taken and was threatened with prosecution for carrying the knife which has been the tool of his trade for more than a decade. He believes he was the unwitting victim of a tightening of laws, following a series of tragedies across the country.
The 64-year-old only realised that the blade, which measures less than three inches, was a banned weapon after visiting Norwich Magistrates' Court over a speeding matter - the first time in his life he has been in trouble. He voluntarily handed the knife to security guards only to be told they had no option but to call the police.
Mr Read, from Hevingham, said: I've never been in trouble or put a foot wrong with the law in my entire life until now. Now I've had to live with the stress of a potential jail sentence hanging over my head.
Home Office guidelines state that it is an offence to carry a knife in public without good reason - for example a chef carrying knives to work. The maximum penalty is four years in prison and a fine of £5,000.
Knives where the blade folds into the handle, like a Swiss army knife, are not illegal, as long as the blade is shorter than three inches. This is because it would be difficult to use them to cause a serious injury. But those with a lockable blade - like Mr Read's - or Stanley and kitchen knives are banned.
Mr Read has now been released with a caution but must still pay a costly legal bill and face a stain on his record.
A spokesman for Norfolk police said lock knives are prohibited and they had no option but to arrest Mr Read. Representatives of the Crown Prosecution Service were unavailable for comment.
This is absolutely disgusting. I know some people will say he shouldn't of entered a court building with a knife in his pocket ...and yes, they would probably be right. But for goodness sake, where the hell is the common sense?
Firstly, it is NOT illegal to carry a lock knife (even in a court room). There is no law that says it's illegal to enter court buildings with a knife.
It is illegal to carry a lock knife without a good reason
So what is a good reason? Can anyone show me an act of parliament with a list of them?
No, of course not. It's up to the police/CPS/Courts to decide. It's not black and white - far from it.
The law is deliberately vague on this point. The reason it's deliberately vague is to give police the discretion they need to decide who constitutes a hazard to public safety and importantly, who doesnt. This means they can bust some blaggard in your back garden at 2am, jimmying your window but it also means, they can let 64 year old grandpa's with no previous record and who are obviously absolutely no threat to public safety, go on their way without issue. They are not obliged to charge or caution the old fella with anything.
They let him go with a caution. Well they didn't let him go, the old fella probably didn't realise that accepting the caution is accepting his guilt and admitting an offence and will appear on his record. If he'd of refused the caution, it would of been bounced up to a senior officer who would probably of let him go. I note the CPS were unwilling to comment. I'll just bet they were. Rather red faced I would think. This bloke is not a criminal, he is obviously not a hazard to public safety and if it had of gone to court, it would of been thrown out. I rarely say anything negative about the police, on the whole I think they do a superb job, but I hope the arresting officer on this one got a damned good roasting off his Chief.
Normally, I hesitate to comment on these things, because there is always another side to the story. But really, 64 year old fella with no previous record at all, voluntarily hands his pocket knife to the guard. A real demon he is - I dont know how I'll sleep at night.
We really need to take stock, this is absolutely bonkers. This police officer was not serving society in any way at all by giving this man a criminal record. I have to wonder what kind of thought process or pressures convinced the arresting officer that this was in the public interest? We really need to object to this kind of thing in the strongest possible terms. This man has led 64 years of his life with nothing more that a speeding ticket, but now he has a police record which will prevent him from obtaining a firearms certificate, working with children, obtaining a travel visa to the USA and much more. I'm disgusted. In fact I feel motivated to pen a letter to my MP.
http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/conte...A42:58:683
Quote:
Builder Colin Read was held for police questioning, had his fingerprints, DNA and mug-shot taken and was threatened with prosecution for carrying the knife which has been the tool of his trade for more than a decade. He believes he was the unwitting victim of a tightening of laws, following a series of tragedies across the country.
The 64-year-old only realised that the blade, which measures less than three inches, was a banned weapon after visiting Norwich Magistrates' Court over a speeding matter - the first time in his life he has been in trouble. He voluntarily handed the knife to security guards only to be told they had no option but to call the police.
Mr Read, from Hevingham, said: I've never been in trouble or put a foot wrong with the law in my entire life until now. Now I've had to live with the stress of a potential jail sentence hanging over my head.
Home Office guidelines state that it is an offence to carry a knife in public without good reason - for example a chef carrying knives to work. The maximum penalty is four years in prison and a fine of £5,000.
Knives where the blade folds into the handle, like a Swiss army knife, are not illegal, as long as the blade is shorter than three inches. This is because it would be difficult to use them to cause a serious injury. But those with a lockable blade - like Mr Read's - or Stanley and kitchen knives are banned.
Mr Read has now been released with a caution but must still pay a costly legal bill and face a stain on his record.
A spokesman for Norfolk police said lock knives are prohibited and they had no option but to arrest Mr Read. Representatives of the Crown Prosecution Service were unavailable for comment.
This is absolutely disgusting. I know some people will say he shouldn't of entered a court building with a knife in his pocket ...and yes, they would probably be right. But for goodness sake, where the hell is the common sense?
Firstly, it is NOT illegal to carry a lock knife (even in a court room). There is no law that says it's illegal to enter court buildings with a knife.
It is illegal to carry a lock knife without a good reason
So what is a good reason? Can anyone show me an act of parliament with a list of them?
No, of course not. It's up to the police/CPS/Courts to decide. It's not black and white - far from it.
The law is deliberately vague on this point. The reason it's deliberately vague is to give police the discretion they need to decide who constitutes a hazard to public safety and importantly, who doesnt. This means they can bust some blaggard in your back garden at 2am, jimmying your window but it also means, they can let 64 year old grandpa's with no previous record and who are obviously absolutely no threat to public safety, go on their way without issue. They are not obliged to charge or caution the old fella with anything.
They let him go with a caution. Well they didn't let him go, the old fella probably didn't realise that accepting the caution is accepting his guilt and admitting an offence and will appear on his record. If he'd of refused the caution, it would of been bounced up to a senior officer who would probably of let him go. I note the CPS were unwilling to comment. I'll just bet they were. Rather red faced I would think. This bloke is not a criminal, he is obviously not a hazard to public safety and if it had of gone to court, it would of been thrown out. I rarely say anything negative about the police, on the whole I think they do a superb job, but I hope the arresting officer on this one got a damned good roasting off his Chief.
Normally, I hesitate to comment on these things, because there is always another side to the story. But really, 64 year old fella with no previous record at all, voluntarily hands his pocket knife to the guard. A real demon he is - I dont know how I'll sleep at night.
We really need to take stock, this is absolutely bonkers. This police officer was not serving society in any way at all by giving this man a criminal record. I have to wonder what kind of thought process or pressures convinced the arresting officer that this was in the public interest? We really need to object to this kind of thing in the strongest possible terms. This man has led 64 years of his life with nothing more that a speeding ticket, but now he has a police record which will prevent him from obtaining a firearms certificate, working with children, obtaining a travel visa to the USA and much more. I'm disgusted. In fact I feel motivated to pen a letter to my MP.
