Man busted for carrying Master Sword from Zelda in the street

The article conveniently fails to mention whether it was sharp (extremely unlikely, the cheap steel used for these can't really hold an edge), and even more conveniently crops out the tip of the "blade" so we can't even see if it was pointed (also extremely unlikely, toys like this almost always have blunted tips).
This isn't a weapon, it's a toy. Sure, you could hurt someone with it, just like you could hurt someone with a baseball bat.
- I reckon the police wanted to bust him for some other reason. The Master Sword was just their excuse.
  
  Before he obtains the tri-force of power and becomes unstoppable.
  
  Police has that discretion and it is ripe for abuse.
  
  I'm sure chief detective Ganon had a perfectly good reason. :)
  
  His real crime was "Walking down the street whilst looking working class".
- Washington Post had a better picture: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/07/04/zelda-master-sword-jail-nuneaton/
  I'm guessing it's pretty much a letter opener. From a read, letter openers count, and many people are mocking the idea of a letter opener being included in such a ban.

The blade was only 6 inches that's a master dagger at best lmao
- Four months in prison for getting caught on CCTV fidgeting with a sheathed letter opener
- The handle is just 4cm or about 1.5 inches, so a grown man can't even hold it in his hand properly, it is clearly a kids toy. He may have used for role playing, although he called it a fidget toy?
- But beware of the master claymore
  
  That’s called a Biggoron sword
- dammit i said the same thing independently, but you were first by 12 hours. hats off to you, sir !

victim surcharge of £154.
WHAT VICTIM??? The article says nothing of him doing anything to others. To my knowledge he didn't attack anyone. There's no victim!
- He is the victim. It's a charge on him.
  
  Soooooo, either he should get the money, as the victim, or the charge is basically police charging victims money for being victims.
  .....I feel like I'm missing something here.
- Victims of every crime that has one.
  It's a fund for paying compensation to victims of crime and £154 is just what you have to pay to it if you get jailed for 6 months or below.
  So when someone does commit a crime that has a payout to a victim, it doesn't matter if they have money or not as it comes from the fund to the victim first.
  Kinda like... If you got hit with an extra vehicle/traffic insurance bill every time you get a speeding ticket or get caught driving drunk, even if you didn't cause an accident.
  
  Oh, ok. Thats a far better description than the other guy said of just "court costs".
  I would say that America needs something like that, but, I just can't see the money ACTUALLY going to victims. I see some policeman, or politician, or whomever, pocketing it if they tried that here.
- Good feckin point!
- I don't know if this is the same but Sweden have a thing where you pay into a fund that helps victims of crimes. When a criminal gets convicted and has to pay a victim money, the state takes money out of the fund and pay the victim and then the fund tries to get the money from the criminal. This way it doesn't become the victims problem that the criminal can't pay.

Four months of prison? It sounds like the man is disconnected from reality but hardly a real threat to society.
- Seriously. I've seen letter openers more threatening than that "sword". Was it dumb? Sure. Does he deserve a slap the wrist, absolutely. But prison?? No way. What the actual fuck?
  
  The stupid thing is that the UK is literally running out of prison spaces currently so that we are considering letting long term prisioners out on licence early to free up room.
  Yet apparently this man needs to have his life turned upsidedown in order to occupy one of those spaces for four months.
  
  It's OK though because as soon as the prison guards turn their backs on him he will immediately escape on an eight inch paraglider.
- gotta throw the book at him to get the numbers up so they look better when it comes to ignoring serious crime.
- Draconian laws do be like that.

With a bit more self-awareness, Bray could have avoided contact with us completely.”
With a shred of brain matter, Sgt Spellman and the bastards he works with, could have not pursued such a ridiculous “crime”.
- This is not a ridiculous crime, that guy is dumb af and dangerous.
  
  This is a bot account folks.

I know people are reacting strongly, prob a large US contingent here and that’s understandable. It is a completely different world in the UK. The police don’t carry firearms (specialist response teams do) as they are just not as available to the general public. Knives or clubs/bats are the most common weapon encountered. Even in that context I too find the sentence pretty heavy on the face of it. The article was rubbish at giving anything other than rage-bait. It didn’t explain if there were circumstances of aggravation, does he have form (ie prior same or related offences), were there vulnerable people in the vicinity, which specific charge was he accused with (possessing or threatening with) did he plead guilty, were there mitigating factors that actually reduced his sentence as the mandatory minimum sentence for “threatening with a weapon” is six months, eg did he cooperate, is he a sole caregiver for someone at home etc.
Only thing I’ve walked away knowing is the author of the article seemed more interested in provoking outrage and upping their hit count than demonstrating any investigative nous or journalistic integrity.
- Even though we have the gun nuts all over this fucked up country, we do manage to far outscore the UK on per capita knife crime as well. Yay us. I agree with your take on the motivation for the article.
- Nobody called. It was seen on CCTV. So someone saw him playing with his lil' master sword and decided to fuck him.
  Sometimes, when I'm not careful, I end up with stupid, dangerous UK-legal pocket knives so I'm always going to be critical of your auth bullshit.

In addition to the four months in prison, he was required to pay a victim surcharge of £154.
So not only was there no victim here but himself he is also now out of work for a minimum of 4 months he's now out 154 bucks. Fuck this world. Like ya, I get that there is that law for a reason, so sure, maybe give him a fine or better yet community service and then let him be on his way. What they have done benefits no one at all and wastes local resources.
- Victim surcharge is just a fine with another name.
  It goes to a fund that pays compensation for victims of crimes and £154 is just what you have to pay for any crime that results in you getting a jail sentence of 6 months or below.
  
  Sounds reasonable.
- bucks
  Quid. We gotta be respectful.

Bit draconian hey. I admit the whole thing was stupid but considering he didn't hurt anyone with this toy or show intention to do so a fine alone would have been more than enough. 4 months prison? Wtf
- It's the UK. They used to just aim guys like this at Scotland.

Have police there never heard of a "letter opener"? 🤔
There's a reason "zero tolerance" is also called "zero intelligence".
- Have police there never heard of a “letter opener”? 🤔
  At this point, a significant number of them are young enough to have never opened a letter in their lives, so possibly. But this is still extremely stupid.

it was only 15cm long. that's at best a Master Dagger, not a master sword! still too long to be legal to carry out in public though.
- It may be only a few centimeters, but you know what it could do if fully charged.
  
  (I know, that's what he said or something)

Ah yes, another victory for zero tolerance policies.
Everything about this is asinine.

That old man lying motherfucker...

4 months in prison for having a novelty pocket knife
- And for some reason the prisons are full...
- Not for simply having, but for brandishing said bladed device as the police approached. That's the law, in that city. As the officer 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 brought this on himself, and could have avoided any contact with the police. He chose otherwise.
  
  Brandish is a stretch nothing in that article noted an intent to intimidate others, it is simple possession of a tchotchke. Unless you count the author's flavor text.

Just to be clear this was not in the US. Their weapons laws are way more restrictive then ours. Apparently he was brandishing it and approached police with it. Sounds like he is a moron.
- That would be relevant if it was a weapon.
  
  It still wouldn't be WORLD NEWS.
- It was 20 cm long. Or about the length of 2 toothpicks. 'Brandishing'?
  
  Wait, your toothpicks are about 4 inches long? Is this another case of everything is bigger in America?
  
  I think I need a box of these novelty toothpicks
  
  That's way longer. 20cm is the average blade length for chef's knives. Over here in Germany, with way more liberal knife laws: Legal to own (duh) but also very much not legal to carry much less wield in public unless you have a good reason -- like actually preparing food in public. You can transport that kind of thing without fanfare but transporting very much involves not having it at the ready.
  Four months are still completely overkill, though. Impounding and maybe a week's worth of fine (one day of disposable income == one day in prison here) if he was being stupid and careless but non-aggressive. Four months go way beyond "let this be a lesson" territory and very much into "the state is nuts and doesn't make sense". If you're feeling poetic, how about some social hours in a charity store sorting donated fidget spinners.
  
  That’s what the article said 😂

MASTER SWORD = 22 cm or 8.6 inches including handle and holster.
We also have very strict knife regulation here (Denmark), but I think if it is a first time offense, he would have gotten off with a fine, since it's obviously a toy.
Seems like a perfect place for role playing games!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwickshire#/media/File:Kenilworth_Castle_(cropped).jpg
Wiki page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warwickshire
- What is the aim of the regulation?
  Does it cover dense urban areas only?
  
  Most youths who are involved in crime carry a knife for protection. This means that if the police want to arrest one of them, for whatever reason, they can because they will likely find a knife on them.
- That's what all these articles missed, this isn't a first offense, the man is a known burglar, did 4 years previously

Some NotTheOnion type shit.

At least it didn’t break in the middle of fighting a Lynel.

.
- If you were caught with the blade visible in public, you could be arrested. I also carry a leatherman, and ensure it is never visible.
  
  Yeah, I'm careful to never whip out my 3" in public.

I feel like he could have been let off with a fine and confiscation where if he would do it again or act provocatively the prison sentence would apply. 4 months in prison is a lot
- A suspended prison sentence makes too much sense. Gotta teach this nerd a lesson.

The image in the article shows the entire thing being 20cm and the actual 'blade' portion of the toy being around 13cm long. a little longer than the blade on a pretty standard multi tool like a Leatherman.
Is this seriously what the police were actually concerned about, I understand that it's different in the UK vs the US, but this is definitely overkill. This thing would need to be pinched between your thumb and index finger like a cigarette to be wielded and is arguably less dangerous than a fork.
- They're only allowed to have 7.62 cm, so from a legal standpoint it's almost twice the legal limit.
  If the law doesn't make sense you don't challenge it by breaking it.
  The police don't carry guns there so yeah they're concerned.
  Running around twirling a clearly illegal item in public is pretty good logical grounds for police intervention. If the law says 3 in when do you actually stop them is it 4, 10, 12? If he was just transporting it from one house to another they might have let it go. But he's walking around fidgeting twirling it in the open. I suspect he was performing twirls and dagger tricks. So the general public is probably also a little concerned. If he's walking around his neighborhood twirling it around all the time it might even been a neighbor that called the police on it.
  The fine is reasonable, getting locked up for 4 months is probably a bit much.
- Removed, civility.

Leave this old nerd alone

They jailed my man Link smh

America is stupid for excessive guns. But this is stupid in the other direction. Talk about over policing. Fuck me this is stupid

Prison? For this?
Just take it away and warn him. How did no one along the way protest the heavy handedness of this?
- I agree with your point seeing as how the article dosen't have this info, but the context that He's a known burglar, has done at least 4 years in prison and 'but it's just a novelty item' has been a tactic of criminals in England for a long time, it makes more sense why he was busted.
  
  Oh, I guess I was assuming it wasn't even sharp, like an actual novelty item.

I'm surprised Nintendo's lawyers didn't get to him before the police.

The Blade of Evil's Bane should be carried by everyone at this point.

Lol finally, we can keep these dorks off the streets. Everyone can feel safe now
/s

Anthony Bray the convicted burglar?
- you are never gonna let him forget that are you
- Yes.

If I’d encounter someone wielding a naked 15cm blade, I’d be extremely wary as well. That blade can easily cause serious harm or kill, regardless of being a replica toy or not. Walking around with what is essentially a dagger is reckless. Maybe the sentence is a bit harsh, but that dude deserved being stopped.
- Can’t pretty much everything around you cause serious harm or kill??? I don’t understand this stance.
  
  Yes, you're right everything can cause serious harm or kill, but certain things are designed to harm or kill, or designed to look like something that could harm or kill.
  Context is a big factor here. A person holding a 6 inch knife in a kitchen? No one is going to bat an eye. They're probably using that knife to prep vegetables. Same knife, same person but they are walking around a market/playground/movie theatre? Suddenly it's a very different situation and context.
  Is that stranger with the knife safe? I don't know, but I do know that I don't have anything to defend myself aside from what is around me if they ARE NOT a safe person.

Why so extreme? At most it should've been confiscated and given a small fine.

This is the best summary I could come up with:
A man has been jailed for brandishing a replica of a sword from the Nintendo game The Legend of Zelda on the streets of a Warwickshire market town, which he said was a “fidget toy” to keep his hands busy.
Anthony Bray, 48, of Nuneaton, was sentenced to four months in prison after being found in possession of a bladed article in public.
The article in question was a replica of the “master sword” from The Legend of Zelda series which had a total blade length of 6in, Warwickshire police said.
On 8 June, officers were made aware via CCTV of a man, Bray, walking down Queens Road, Nuneaton, with the sword in his hand.
Sgt Spellman, of the patrol investigations unit, said: “We take a zero tolerance [approach] to bladed articles in public, and Bray has fallen afoul of this.
Police said Bray admitted that the sword could be perceived as threatening if someone else had seen it, but he insisted in interviews he would not have used it as a weapon.
The original article contains 290 words, the summary contains 173 words. Saved 40%. I'm a bot and I'm open source!

Too bad he's a criminal now or id tell em to come to merica where he can carry a real pistol like a big boy
- It's dangerous to go alone! take this.
  hands Link a glock

Damn, Act Man really let himself go.

Don't you know Link? This is Ganontown.

Should have carried the gun blade from FF8 and it be protected under the 2nd amendment.
- In the UK?
  
  To be fair they used to have a right acknowledged in the 1689 Bill of Rights
- 2nd amendment of what? The Magna Carta?
  
  I mean that's what the US Supreme court cites when overturning our rights so why can't the UK do the same?