In short:
A Briton who carried an 8-inch replica of the Legend of Zelda sword through the streets of Nuneaton as a fidget toy has been jailed.
Police say Anthony Bray claimed the sword was a “fidget toy” he bought online to keep his hands busy.
And after?
Bray was sentenced at Leamington Spa Crown Court to four months in prison and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154 (AU$292).
A British man who carried an 8-inch replica of the Legend of Zelda sword in public as a “stress-relieving” toy has been sentenced to four months in prison.
Anthony Bray, 48, was arrested by police in Nuneaton, east Birmingham, on June 8 after CCTV footage showed Bray carrying something suspicious.
Officers approaching Bray quickly saw he was carrying a blade and he was arrested, according to a police statement released this week.
Police said Bray claimed the sword – a knockoff of the Master Sword from the popular Nintendo game – was a “toy” he had bought online to keep his hands busy.
A fidget is a small toy intended to help traditionally neurodivergent individuals focus.
“Officers attempted to explain to Bray that despite its original purpose, it was actually a sharp object that could be used as a weapon and could cause others to fear it would be used against them,” the statement said.
Although he admitted the sword could be threatening, Bray told police during his interview that he would not have used it as a weapon.
Sergeant Spellman of the Warwickshire Patrol Investigation Unit said police had “zero tolerance for sharp objects in public”.
“Bray fell into the trap of that,” they said.
“It is possible to find stress relief toys that are not six-inch blades.
“It is possible not to walk down the street holding them in front of you.
“With a little more self-awareness, Bray could have avoided contact with us altogether.”
Bray was sentenced by Leamington Spa Crown Court to four months in prison and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £154 ($292).