Disaster US tourist arrested in seaside town ‘because he didn’t understand UK laws’ - Holidaymaker, reportedly from an open-carry US state, had UK weapons laws explained to him by officers

Police arrested an American tourist who admitted to openly carrying a knife on a British beachfront.

The man had reportedly been as he sunbathing in Herne Bay on Thursday when locals reported to Kent Police that he was carrying a knife.

The American reportedly told officers he came from an open-carry state in the US, claiming he had the blade for protection and was unaware he could not carry it in public in the UK.

After being arrested on suspicion of possessing a knife, he was handed a community resolution where British law around knife crime was “fully explained to him”, police said.

“It was quite strange,” a resident told KentOnline. “I was just walking the dog along the seafront and saw a man relaxing on the grass verge listening to UB40 on his phone.

“I carried on walking and when I turned around, I noticed a police car at the bottom of Swalecliffe Avenue and two police officers talking to him.

“But then another two officers arrived.”

It is believed the tourist had picked up the steak knife from the kitchen of his rental property close to the coastline on Thursday April 3.

A police spokesman told The Independent: “Kent Police was called to a report that a man had been seen with a knife in the Hampton area of Herne Bay at 10.30am on Thursday.

“Officers attended and a man, who is a US citizen and was on holiday in the area, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a knife.

“In interview, the man made a full admission to possessing the knife in public and explained he had not understood UK law around possession of knives.

“The knife was seized and, following consideration of the circumstances, the matter was dealt with by a community resolution, during which the law was fully explained to him.”

The maximum penalty for an adult carrying a knife or weapon illegally is either four years in prison, an unlimited fine, or both. British law states offenders will get a prison sentence if they are convicted of carrying a knife or weapon illegally more than once.

The only exceptions are folding pocketknives that have a cutting edge no longer than 3 inches and are not lock knives.

Good reasons for carrying a knife or weapon in public include if its for work, for religious reasons, such as the kirpan some Sikhs carry, and as part of any national costume.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/herne-bay-tourist-knife-kent-b2730231.html (Archive)

 

[biggacracka]

an unlimited fine

>carry knoife
>infinite money stolen
Wots all this then?

 

[FedPostalService]

Just a reminder that he’s lucky this happened in the UK. In France, Spain, Germany, or Italy the police could have filled him full of holes.

Still, hang him.

 

[ChefKiss]

You have to be an idiot to be carrying a weapon when you don't know the law of the country you're in. It's a basic, common sense thing, not like some weird law that you should not suspect it existed.

On another note, I find retarded that an exception is made for Sikhs; seems like length and area where you use it may determine its legality, or if it can be justified for "religious reasons". Talking about that would probably need a more in depth conversation, not really for this thread.

Dear Bongs please join my new religious movement, The Antirapementarians, our important religious beliefs and symbols means you carry a combat knife, Claymore (sword or landmine, your choice!), sawn off shotgun, pistol and rifle.
They're important to our beliefs and if they just happen to be close at hand when a rapist of colour attacks then it's perfectly legal to turn them into pork pies. In fact that kind of thing might scare them off too.

 

[Pure Soap]

American tourist? Hang him. Not for the knife thing but just hang him.

I’m gonna come to your shitty prison island, make a mockery of it, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

 

[Chunky Salsa]

Potentially 4 years in prison for a knife yet they let pedophile trannies off the hook

Yeah, because they didn't have a knife, retard.

But no, what the fuck? What a slimy faggot way of framing this by the article as well. "Oh he was from an open carry state" NIGGER IT'S A KNIFE!!!! He wasn't lugging around an MG-42 and a belt of tracers, he had a bit of metal. Police in the UK only target the people that they feel they can fuck with and not get any pushback from. This guy should have been carrying a 1911, and then the officer would have thought "Nah, too much trouble" and left him alone.

 

[Pokemon Conquistador]

I thought it was odd that someone would carry a knife to the beach, but apparently it's common enough in America. There was even a case awhile back where some drunken teens tubing on a river were hounding a Romanian and found out he had a knife the hard way:

 

[Shark Senpai]

I thought it was odd that someone would carry a knife to the beach, but apparently it's common enough in America.

It wouldn't be common to go around carrying a steak knife in America for no reason either, but maybe he's just making do. If you grew up somewhere rural especially with an active farming or hunting community it is absolutely common place for people to carry hunting knives everywhere as a functional tool and also just because it can be fun to mess around with. I would imagine the amount of people carrying knives probably drops a bit when you go to suburban and urban areas, and becomes more associated with certain demographics though.

 

[Vargerd]

it's england, a magical place where if you're brown you can stab kids with a knife AND your dick and be allowed to run free. however if you're too white, even looking at a knife too long is a punishable offense.

 

[General Emílio Médici]

Sunbathing on a British beach in early April? Made of stern stuff then

Maybe he is from northern Alaska or something?

 

[Hitman One]

If you go on holiday then you need to respect the local traditions. That's why when I visit America I ensure that I remember to tip the officer who shoots me after I forget to kneel to the local blacks.

 

[Blewberry Nausea]

If you go on holiday then you need to respect the local traditions. That's why when I visit America I ensure that I remember to tip the officer who shoots me after I forget to kneel to the local blacks.

What if the locals don’t respect their own traditions anymore? Who’s more kin to Richard the Lionheart, modern day limeys or Americans?

 

[Morethanabitfoolish]

What a slimy faggot way of framing this by the article as well. "Oh he was from an open carry state" NIGGER IT'S A KNIFE!!!! He wasn't lugging around an MG-42 and a belt of tracers, he had a bit of metal.

I agree but this seems to have been something he was making a point of.

The American reportedly told officers he came from an open-carry state in the US, claiming he had the blade for protection and was unaware he could not carry it in public in the UK.

Then again it's an Independent article so they are probably lying.

 

[Hitman One]

What if the locals don’t respect their own traditions anymore? Who’s more kin to Richard the Lionheart, modern day limeys or Americans?

Well he was a massive cuck when it came to the longnose tribe...

 

[Burd Turglar]

Sunbathing on a British beach in early April? Made of stern stuff then

Never heard of Wisconsin, have ya?

 

[30+GameOvers]

It wasn't the knife, it was the spoon. The knife just adds extra time to the sentence, as do all the other dangerous weapons of mass destruction like the fork or the can opener.
I hope Trump makes them give the knife back and tells the pakistani colony to eat shit

 

[wtfNeedSignUp]

when locals reported to Kent Police that he was carrying a knife.

Always remember that Brits deserve their hellhole for complying with its retarded laws. Ironically if the guy was middle eastern they wouldn't have reported him.

 

[Gregis]

Just a reminder that he’s lucky this happened in the UK. In France, Spain, Germany, or Italy the police could have filled him full of holes.

Still, hang him.

Least faggy Br*toid; the only thing that schizophrenic gypsy was right about was everything he said about you. And maybe 10% of what he said about trains...

 

[Tablet County]

I thought it was odd that someone would carry a knife to the beach, but apparently it's common enough in America. There was even a case awhile back where some drunken teens tubing on a river were hounding a Romanian and found out he had a knife the hard way:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=fQrbf9nnGSw

Didn't it turn out that the teens were hounding him because was trying to get some underage pussy?

 

[big pauper]

It wouldn't be common to go around carrying a steak knife in America for reason either, but maybe he's just making do. If you grew up somewhere rural especially with an active farming or hunting community it is absolutely common place for people to carry hunting knives everywhere as a functional tool and also just because it can be fun to mess around with. I would imagine the amount of people carrying knives probably drops a bit when you go to suburban and urban areas, and becomes more associated with certain demographics though.

If people are driving big trucks and wearing trucker hats, they are going to be carrying a ridiculously overpowered weapon on them. It's our god given right to do so

 

[Blewberry Nausea]

Didn't it turn out that the teens were hounding him because was trying to get some underage pussy?

That was the claim but the story is so fucking muddled I don’t know which version to believe. Zoomers are an excitable bunch quick to turn any miscommunication into a reason to chimp out and make shit up, I don’t really find them reliable a lot of the time. Never take responsibility always looking to release ‘their truth’ that absolves them of all wrongdoing.