I have been given an illegal gift!

[hedders]

I have a mate who lives in Cyprus and while his parents were visiting he got them to bring me back some duty free ciggies.

All good so far but when i picked them up he had also brought me a little birthday gift, a nice brushed steel Locking Flicknife!

Now, i have no need for such a thing, but it seems a shame to throw it out!

Obviously i would not 'carry' it but I am wondering just how serious an offence it is to own such a thing?

The blade is about 3".

I am guessing he did not think about the legality of the gift, seeing as he sent it back on the plane with his parents!

[towman]

Having just read this thread......

www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=174822&f=10&h=0


It would seem to be Ok unless it is in a public place. Don`t know if it makes a difference being a concealed blade.

[sublimatica]

The existence of the knife itself isn't illegal, otherwise we'd all have difficulty carving our Sunday roasts, but if you're found carrying it in a place in which you can't justify its possession then you'll have problems.

Keep it in the house, admire it, talk to it, sleep with it, whatever, but make sure it's not in your pocket accidentally when you leave your premises.

[falcemob]

I stand to be corrected but I think you will find that if it is a proper flick knife, i.e. you press a button and the blade springs out, it is illegal in the UK. A lock knife isn't. But if you just keep it at home and never anticipate being raided by the BiB then you should be OK.

[hedders]

falcemob said:

I stand to be corrected but I think you will find that if it is a proper flick knife, i.e. you press a button and the blade springs out, it is illegal in the UK. A lock knife isn't. But if you just keep it at home and never anticipate being raided by the BiB then you should be OK.

That is how i have been thinking about it, but just wanted to make sure the law hasn't gone over the top and made flick Knives as bad as having a loaded Handgun or something. Nothing would suprise me anymore!

I thought i heard once that you could get 5 yrs for owning either! (which would explain nicely why gun crime is going up)

[docevi1]

AFAIK any blade over 3" is illegal to carry on your person, and any blades less than that have explaining to do (I remember a story on here about someone who got taken to the Police station etc for having a small blade in his briefcase to open letters with).

Flick knives (i.e. press a button) are completely illegal so I wouldn't be seen in public with it.

[hedders]

Ok, Look guys

I WOULD NEVER be seen in public with it, what i want to know is..lets say i was burgled and it was stolen and recovered...Or the police were in my house while i reported a crime (yeah, sure!) and they noticed it.

How illegal is it?

Has there been a mandatory prison sentence attatched to just owning a flick Knife or anything like that?

I know i could explain away carving knives /fishing knives/hunting knives etc but I just want to make sure that flick knives are not in a special category, which i think they are, but not sure just how bad it is.

[Wacky Racer]

Flick knives, gravity knives, butterfly knives are ILLEGAL......

Get rid of it.....

VERY HEAVY penalties if caught in posession.....
(I sell knives, amongst other things for a living)

It is only legal (in the UK) to carry a folding knive in a public place if a) You have GOOD REASON for doing so, and the blade (actual cutting edge) is less than 3", BUT also it must have a NON LOCKING blade..........

It is now illegal for anybody under the age of 16 to buy a screwdriver believe it or not.........

Better to be safe than sorry....

[superflid]

Looks like selling or importing is the big nono, owning one and keeping it at home shouldn't be a problem.

The Police told me.....

[Wacky Racer]

superflid said:

Looks like selling or importing is the big nono, owning one and keeping it at home shouldn't be a problem. The Police told me.....

This law (which dates back to 1959) has been ammended several times, the last being a couple of years ago......

(In reality if Hedders keeps the knife at home, no body need ever know, but as he said, what happens if it gets stolen in a break in, and the person kills somebody with it, and questions are asked where it came from, with Hedders prints all over it)..

Far fetched I know.....(but possible).....

[superflid]

Wouldn't argue with you over this Wacky Racer, you are obviously far more involved with knives than I've ever been.

It's a bugger when you can't even get the facts from Plod.

[Flat in Fifth]

hedders said:

falcemob said: I stand to be corrected but I think you will find that if it is a proper flick knife, i.e. you press a button and the blade springs out, it is illegal in the UK. A lock knife isn't. But if you just keep it at home and never anticipate being raided by the BiB then you should be OK. That is how i have been thinking about it, but just wanted to make sure the law hasn't gone over the top and made flick Knives as bad as having a loaded Handgun or something. Nothing would suprise me anymore!

Off topic but yesterday's paper gave a hint that they are considering making hot & cold water taps illegal. Must be thermostatically controlled to prevent whatever.

What next, taxing breathing?

[Wacky Racer]

superflid said:

Wouldn't argue with you over this Wacky Racer, you are obviously far more involved with knives than I've ever been. It's a bugger when you can't even get the facts from Plod.

No, the facts were correct...........


They were just 46 years out of date..........

[hedders]

Wacky Racer said:

Flick knives, gravity knives, butterfly knives are ILLEGAL...... Get rid of it..... VERY HEAVY penalties if caught in posession..... (I sell knives, amongst other things for a living)

Cheers Wacky

Do you have any knowledge of people actually being charged for this kind of weapon being found in their homes, obviously not being used for anything? If so, what was the result.

I am looking for a definitive answer here about what is likely to happen in reality if it was discovered.

What is a 'VERY HEAVY' penalty in your opinion? A hundred pound fine? a thousand pound fine? Jail? a Hand chopped off?

[Wacky Racer]

Actually, the main reason flick knives were banned in 1959, was this was the era of the "teddy boy" and no self respecting Ted would be seen on the street without one, so drastic action had to be taken........

[Wacky Racer]

hedders said:

I am looking for a definitive answer here about what is likely to happen in reality if it was discovered. What is a 'VERY HEAVY' penalty in your opinion? A hundred pound fine? a thousand pound fine? Jail? a Hand chopped off?

Not, really qualified to comment, I am afraid, I suppose it would depend on the individual magistrate...

I would imagine the worst aspect would be having a criminal record, which may have future job implications.....

Just not worth the risk (imo)......

[hedders]

Thats the problem with the law in this country...you never seem to know where you stand

We all know what is illegal, but the punishment are so varied for the same crimes..we need some consistency.

[Flat in Fifth]

hedders said:

Thats the problem with the law in this country...you never seem to know where you stand We all know what is illegal, but the punishment are so varied for the same crimes..we need some consistency.

Actually I think the problem is that we no longer know what is and is not illegal any more. We might know what is not sensible or reasonable by application of that rare commodity common sense.

The Labour Govt have had a real knack of taking an issue which, on face value, the proverbial man in the street thinks, "Yeah that's a pain in the posterior, needs to be sorted."

By the time they have enacted the legislation the Govt have gone totally overboard and thus brought a large section of the populace into the illegality net. That includes many MoP who would never dream of doing what was the intended focus of the legislation.

Meanwhile the original problem children just flick the Vs at the rest of us and carry on with whatever they were doing to cause the problem. For well known reasons the authorities are then powerless or under resourced to do anything effective about it.

/rant off.

FiF

[superflid]

Wacky Racer said:

No, the facts were correct........... They were just 46 years out of date..........

They do state that "All efforts will be made to keep the information up to date and accurate".

All efforts?

[Dwight VanDriver]

There is a fair bit of legislation on this from S 1 Prevention of Crime Act 1953 - having an offensive weapon in a public place - to:

Section 139 (1) Criminal Justice Act 1988 - having a bladed or sharply pointed article in a public place (Summarily 6 months imp and/or fine - on indictment 2 years imp and/or fine).

Folding pocket knives are excluded unless cutting edge exceeds 3 ins.

If the knife is a lock-knife it is covered in this later offence, irrespective of whether the blade is locked open at the time (Harris v DPP [1993])

Defence to show has good reason or lawful authority for having the article in a public place. (eg Gardeners, Joiners, Chefs etc. etc.)

Inside ones own dwelling house is not a public place.

Likewise offence in possession of such an item on School Premises as is an offensive weapon

Also Trespass with a weapon of offence - CLA 1977.

As stated under Restriction of Offensive Weapons Act 1959, s.1. it is an offence for any person to manufacture, sell, hire, offer for sale/hire, exposes or has in his possession for the purpose of sale/hire, LENDS OR GIVES a flick knife.....

Best get rid but how? Consider parcelling it up and taking it to the local Plod shop for them to arrange destruction. You are not obliged to disclose its source and name names.

DVD