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Actor Darren Day guilty of offensive weapon charge

Darren Day was appearing in a Queen musical in Edinburgh at the time
Entertainer Darren Day has been found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon by a court in Edinburgh.

The actor had claimed during a two-day trial at the city's sheriff court that it had not occurred to him a keyring he owned could be considered a weapon.

He had previously admitted a drink-driving charge dating from the same night in December 2009, when he was starring in musical We Will Rock You.

The 41-year-old was banned from the roads for five years and fined £1,250.

Sheriff William Holligan admonished Day in respect of the weapon charge due to the "particular facts and circumstances".

During the trial, Day said he had carried the kubotan keyring, a 5in-long metal stick given to him by a friend, for 14 years.

The weapon was found when he was arrested by Lothian and Borders Police after his Mercedes hit a lamppost in Manor Place in Edinburgh.

Day, who is well known for dating a string of glamorous women including actress Anna Friel, said he was shocked when he was charged by police, and had told them the item was not an offensive weapon.

But during the trial, the sheriff was told by two martial arts experts from Lothian and Borders Police that the kubotan was designed in the 1970s for use by the Los Angeles Police as a self-defence weapon and in a worst case scenario could be used to kill someone.

Kevinf2349 wrote:I am not sure if this has been posted yet so here goes

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scot ... 606969.stm

I worry about my 'old country'. OK the guy is a slimeball for driving drunk...but a little 5" piece of metal on a keyring is an offensive weapon?

jimlongley wrote:Who is Anna Friel?

SQLGeek wrote:Here is the "keyring" they are saying is a weapon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubotan" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Seems a bit much to me, unless they are going to start calling keys, pens and pencils weapons as well.

cougartex wrote:

jimlongley wrote:Who is Anna Friel?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_Friel" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

SQLGeek wrote:Here is the "keyring" they are saying is a weapon.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kubotan" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Seems a bit much to me, unless they are going to start calling keys, pens and pencils weapons as well.

Kevinf2349 wrote:I worry about my 'old country'.

stroo wrote:Generally you can not take a kuboton on a commercial airline for the same reason as it is called an offensive weapon here. But you can take a maglite or a steel barreled pen on a flight with no problem.