64 year old cyclist found to be carrying knife, air gun and nunchucks after being hit by car

[[[[[ While we're fantasizing about weaponizing ourselves, I saw a piece in a local rag about a geezer emerging from a shop with his fish'n'chips in a bag, and four young plonkers stopped him and demanded money---with menaces. The hungry chap, (a Scot, I believe), turns out to be a multi-Martial Arts blackbelt holder, and he kept kicking them all in the kneecaps until they got the picture and hobbled off into the sunset, not a penny richer, but hopefully a bit wiser.
Since perusing the story, I confess to having mused about a pair of cycling shoes with steel toecaps---and in case any of you cycling cops are thinking of "cautioning" me, these protective daisyroots would be a defence against motorists driving over me toes, seeing as I always put me RIGHT foot down when stopping at traffic lights, and several drivers over the years--even a bus--have come way too close for comfort, and I need my toes for balance, see?
What't that TV prog called? Oh yeah, Dragons' Den.....
P.R.

Potential firearms offence. Depends on the pressurisation of the canister. Some can fall under s5 firearms act, however offensive weapon is a possibility. It's worth noting that claiming self defence is much harder if you've got something like that on your person. Shows that you have 'prepared' yourself and therefore are expecting to use it. Besides the effectiveness of pepper style sprays is very sketchy! Trust me, I know!!

Does anyone know what is the legal status of pepper spray in the UK? Tooling up with knifes/nunchucks/airguns is clearly stupid, but I could totally understand someone having a pepper spray in their jersey pocket - especially if they'd previously been a victim of a violent attack.

I've lived in an 'interesting' area for many years now and have never found the need to carry a weapon. It's maybe not what it was now but it's somewhere I know people used to avoid in the past. And I've lived overseas in a place that would terrify a lot of people. I didn't carry a weapon there either.

What I've learned, and it's not so special a piece of wisdom, is that if you go out looking for trouble you're likely to find it. My old karate teacher used to say how martial arts gave you the awareness to avoid trouble most of the time. If you're carrying a weapon you're part of the problem, not the solution.

This chap was lucky not to get a more serious penalty. The judge made a good call.

He pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon in a public place and one count of possessing a sharp pointed article in a public place.

Better not let Granny go and knit on the park bench in the sun then.

What was the driver charged with -using his/her car as an offensive weapon?

Hopefully, if his defence was that the weapons were for self defence then he'd have the reported previous incidents(that led to him feeling at risk) to plod.

Like other comments here, if you feel like you need to carry something just in case, then carry something with a plausible legitimate use as a reasonable excuse for possessing such item - make the defence of "instant arming" more believable.

I personally stick a large truncheon down the front of my lycra shorts whenever I go cycling, not out of fear for my safety, just to impress the girls.

Bloke gets caught carrying weapons and gets off very lightly.

He was on a bike which proves that idiots can travel by all modes.

Hopefully he's learned his lesson and will stop carrying weapons.

This isn't really a cycling story is it?

I have no sympathy with the guy, as for his defence saying he didn't realise it was such a serious matter, get real its always ok to carry knives and a loaded weapon in public.

Live by the sword, die by the sword.
Sorry, going out "tooled up" is a bad idea end of story.
We're mostly lucky in the UK that we don't live in a gun/weapon ruled society and long may that remain.
For all the bravado, every single person I have met "who can look after himself" always advocate avoiding confrontation rather than squaring up to it. Sometimes you have no choice but that is the exception, not the rule.

I live in the US where it is our NRA-lobbyist-given right to carry a cncealed gun into hospitals (?!) so no, carrying a weapon around isn't going to make you or the people around you safer. Unless you've got adequate training on using a weapon, be it a knife or even a chain, you're more likely to either injure yourself or have it taken from you and used against you by your attacker. Also, when push comes to shove, most people freeze in confrontations and are unable to take advantage of attack lines as the psychological willingness to hurt someone face to face is not something most of us possess in that split second between attack and defense. It's harsh, but just because you were abused in the past does not justify "paying it forward" and abusing others. Sorry.

"...one count of possessing a sharp pointed article in a public place."
Is this a real charge? You should see my nose - can't believe I haven't been arrested yet.

So what happened to the driver who knocked this gent off his bike, leaving him with serious injuries?

I was once spoken to by the Police for having within easy reach in my works van a knife with a 6cm blade. The knife was only sat on the dash because I had forgotten to put it away after cutting a length of string. I was threatened with all sorts of consequences for carrying an offensive weapon.

I pointed out that also within easy reach there was 2 x 56mm open ended spanners 40cm long and weighing 1.5kg each, a Strongarm and a 36" Roughneck Gorilla Bar.

With a completely straight face and no hint of irony he stated that they were tools whereas the knife was clearly offensive and that my intentions were irrelevant. He seized the knife.

I make no further comment and leave it to you to take what lessons you will from this tale.

Silly boy. From my martial arts days a long key fob, plastic, alu (or preferably carbon) can be useful in the right hands. And only for self defense.
- yes, you shouldn't need to
- but idiots are idiots - which works both ways.

If he was a young person in a hooded sweatshirt walking down the street, we'd all be saying, meh, lock him up and throw away the key. If the same person was driving a BMW with an attitude problem, locked up in a rat-infested pit, and the key melted down. Lord knows what we'd suggest for a tipper truck driver... gently lowered into a paddling pool filled with hungry piranha maybe?

Mode of transport doesn't excuse the fact he's been wandering around with kit specifically designed to cause damage to people, and he's got off very, very lightly. He's been a silly sod, probably causing more danger to himself than anyone else, and been given a jolly good spanking for it. Move on. But let's return to this...

Quote:

A cyclist who was hit by a car

... wait what?

Quote:

was picked up by police with serious injuries in a collision with a car.

Amidst all the trees, I think I can see a wood here. And not of the golfing variety.

A bit of an odd collection - I find carrying a few feet of heavy chain with a padlock on the end all the re-assurance I need - just make sure you know how to use it or you'll just end up hurting yourself

Seems like the scales of justice are balanced after all. Ah now hold up sorry been drinking all night and just got home.