Northampton man convicted of carrying samurai sword claims he was turning it in after taking it from kids

A Northampton man found hiding a samurai sword in his trousers told a court that he was going to post it in a nearby amnesty box after confiscating it from a group of children.

Jae Franklin, aged 38, appeared at Northampton Magistrates Court on Thursday, April 6 for a summary trial after being charged with possessing a blade in a public place.

Franklin was arrested on February 9 earlier this year after police officers found him with a samurai sword down his trouser leg near the post office in Blackthorn Bridge Court.

Giving evidence in court, the defendant claimed that he was on his way to get a Chinese takeaway when he saw a group of around six children aged between 10 and 13 playing with the sword.

Franklin said: “I told them, do you know what would happen if the police were around the corner? They thought it was a joke. I told them I was confiscating it.”

The defendant said he was aware of a knife amnesty box near the takeaway he was going to so his intention was to turn in the weapon there.

The court heard that three plain clothed police officers were standing near the amnesty box and Franklin, upon recognising one of them, began to walk towards him.

He claims, however, that he was grabbed from behind by one of the other officers and sprayed three times with CS gas, incapacitating him. He said he was unaware the other two men were police officers until 10 minutes after he was detained, which was why he struggled.

The court heard that Franklin did not make police aware of the blade and it was during that struggle they found the sword hidden in his trouser leg.

Nigel Chapman, prosecuting, asked Franklin why the sword was concealed in his trousers. The defendant replied that it did not fit anywhere else and he did not want to be seen with it in his hand given his reputation with the police.

Mr Chapman asked Franklin why he did not call the police and ask them to collect the sword. The defendant replied that the amnesty box was just a three minute walk away and he wanted to set a “good example” to the children on his estate by handing the weapon in.

Franklin asked the barrister: “Why is there an amnesty box if I am not supposed to put a weapon in it?”

“I just thought I was doing the correct thing by taking it off the streets, sir,” the defendant added.

The court heard that Franklin has a previous conviction of possessing an offensive weapon - namely, knuckle dusters - in a public place in August 2022.

After retiring briefly, magistrates found Franklin to be guilty of possessing a blade in a public place after concluding that his reasons for concealing the weapon in his trousers and not informing police about the blade immediately were insufficient.

As the verdict was read aloud by the Chair, Mr Emberson, Franklin began to shout and cry from the dock.

The case was committed to Northampton Crown Court for sentence on May 4, 2023. Franklin was remanded in custody.