Australian Actor Found Not Guilty of Carrying Offensive Weapon

[2manyknives]

Australian Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil had charges of carrying an offensive weapon (a machete) dismissed in a Darwin court this week.

http://abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200701/s1824482.htm

The finding was based on the fact that the police charged him with carrying an offensive weapon when in fact a machete is deemed to be a controlled weapon, not an offensive weapon, and the magistrate was of the view that he had an acceptable reason for possessing it.

 

[Danno4017]

Aborigines can carry whatever they like I think.
Most Police and Magistrates would rather not go down the path of convicting a vocal minority group and get the crap that goes with it.

 

[Danzz]

The article says he was charged after drawing his 45cm (~18") machete during a "verbal argument" while on what I understand to be a public street.
Guilty or not, minority or majority, from the article his behavior seems highly irresponsible. Additionally, his defense seems to be that the government charged him with carrying the wrong class of weapon, not that he was innocent of any kind of wrongdoing. Stuff like this doesn't do anything to help responsible knife users in the eyes of the public and the court.