“The item in question was a small replica of the Master Sword from the Legend of Zelda games, with an overall blade length of 6 inches,” police said.
The Master Sword is a signature weapon often seen in The Legend of Zelda series and a recognizable prop in the 1980s gaming franchise enjoyed by gamers worldwide. The sword features a blue and yellow hilt and scabbard and has the ability to vanquish evil and destroy magical barriers, according to fan websites for the game, which follows the young hero Link among a cast of other characters.
Britain has one of the lowest gun murder rates in the world and some of the toughest gun laws, including extensive background checks. Knife crime remains a problem, however, with more than 50,000 sharp-tip offences recorded by police in the year ending March 2023, according to government data.
It is illegal to carry most knives in public in the UK without good reason. There are a few exceptions, including folding pocket knives with a cutting edge no longer than 3 inches.
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Police said they approached Bray after CCTV footage showed him walking through the centre of Nuneaton, a market town in central England, with something in his hand on June 8.
Bray claimed the sword was used as a “fidget” — a toy he bought to keep his hands busy, the police statement said.
“Officers attempted to explain to Bray that despite its intended purpose, it was in fact 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.
Bray stressed during police interviews that he had no intention of using the elaborate sword as a weapon, police said, but acknowledged that it could be perceived as threatening by others.
“We have a zero tolerance policy for bladed items in public, and Bray was a victim of this,” said Sgt. Fern Spellman of the Patrol Investigations Unit. “It is possible to find fidget toys that don’t have six-inch blades. It is possible to not walk down the street with them out in front of you,” she added.
A spokesman for Warwickshire Police told The Post by email on Thursday that the replica of the Master Sword had been destroyed.
“There are significant concerns about serious stabbing violence in Warwickshire,” he said, with “several incidents” recently in Nuneaton, “one of which reportedly resulted in the sad loss of a young man’s life in the town centre.”