Posted on 12/02/2004 10:47:28 AM PST by BritishBulldog
By Laura Scott, PA
A businessman working in the Formula 1 motor racing industry today denied two charges relating to him possessing a penknife and baton in his briefcase.
Nicholas Samengo-Turner pleaded not guilty to one charge of possessing a bladed or pointed instrument in a public place and one charge of possessing an offensive weapon in public.
After the brief hearing at Bow Street Magistrates’ Court, in central London, the 50-year-old former investment banker, who also trained at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, vowed outside the court that he would take his case all the way to the House of Lords if necessary.
He added: “There is something wrong with both the CPS (Crown Prosecution Service) and the police when they claim they are overstretched and under-resourced yet they still continue spending public money and time on something in which there was no criminal danger to anyone.”
Mr Samengo-Turner wrote an article in The Spectator, reproduced in some newspapers, about his arrest and his experiences in a police station.
The father of two, of Newmarket, Suffolk, who was joined at the court by his wife Kate, was remanded on unconditional bail until January 12 for a hearing to commit the case to Crown Court.
I keep one to clean my fingernails. What is this? Did he threaten anyone with it? We strain at a gnat and swallow a camel.
As you can see individual freedom in Europe is a thing of the past.
This country is feckin nuts sometimes.
Thanks for post BB. Keep us appraised of the developments, please....."remanded on unconditional bail" means what? Set free on bail???
He's publicly embarrassed the authorities, deservedly so, now he'll be public enemy no.1 for the bureaucrats.
"Thanks for post BB. Keep us appraised of the developments, please....."remanded on unconditional bail" means what? Set free on bail??? "
Yes, set free, no money required, no conditions.
"I keep one to clean my fingernails. What is this? Did he threaten anyone with it? We strain at a gnat and swallow a camel."
Originl story here. Madness, Blairs Britain.
http://www.opinion.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2004/11/28/do2802.xml&sSheet=/opinion/2004/11/28/ixopinion.html
Crosslinking to earlier stories:
The policeman found my penknife; 'You're going down, mate,' he said (Good Read)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1289948/posts
Duplicate post here:
The policeman found my penknife. 'You're going down, mate,' he said
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1290609/posts
Original Spectator story here:
New Labour's police state -
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1288424/posts
Your police would not be pleased with my Buck Knife.
Update to stories posted by you all.
Oh no! A knife with a safety feature!
It wasn't a pen knife. It was a Victorinox multi-tool, much like a Leatherman.
I know what you mean. I haven't left my home in about 40 years without my pocket knife. The Genuine Victorianox Swiss Army knives are my choice.
"I took out a pocket knife to open a bottle of sherry in the UK once, and a gasp went around the room. No kidding. It was a little thing, too, but I was told it would be illegal because the blade locks."
I think the original law was supposed to deal with lock knives and flick knives which have been used mostly for stabbings over here.
But I suppose it's easier (and less dangerous) for the police to keep their figures up by persecuting innocent members of the public going about their business that to catch real violent criminals.
And the prosecutors should be....well.. prosecuted, for taking this through the courts. What can they possibly gain?
I believe he had both a penknife and a multi-plier.
I keep the exact same set up on me at all times just because they are such handy tools.
Amazing and pathetic that I could be locked up for this in the UK.
"I believe he had both a penknife and a multi-plier. "
He also had a retractable kosh, which is illegal and is probably the reason they took him in.
Still ridiculous though, it's not as if he hit anyone over the head with it.
We really have to fear the same thing here. Cops would rather go after easy victims like this rather than illegal aliens or real criminals who commit real crimes.
The same thing happens here every day time and time again.
This is what can happen if we lose our right to keep and bear arms. The Libs take away our guns, then our knives, then our fingernail clippers....
It sucks that locking blades are illegal there. I really don't like using folding knives that don't lock after witnessing a pocket knife close up on a friend's thumb when he was cutting an avocado. He had to get several stitches.
One of the many variations of the "Swiss Army" knife. Or as some would call it the "McGiver (sp?) Knife"
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