A thug who brandished these nunchakus during a row with another man was stopped in his tracks by a Brighton police dog.
William Gunn, 26, was discovered near his home in Fleet Street just before Christmas by SC Josh Howell and PC Mark Fox as they patrolled the New England Quarter.
He ignored SC Howell’s orders to drop the weapon, but when PC Fox got police dog Max out of their nearby van, Gunn immediately obeyed their commands. He was given an eight month suspended prison sentence last week at Lewes Crown Court.
PC Fox explained: “While on patrol, we saw two men having a very heated verbal altercation with one another in the street. On pulling up to speak with them, we noticed one of the men had a set of nunchakus in his hands.
“Concerned for the safety of the public, I ran to the back of my van to deploy PD Max. I obtained control of the suspect with PD Max, using verbal commands only, and gained immediate compliance.
“SC Howell then moved forward and handcuffed him, before making the arrest for being in possession of an offensive weapon.
“This is a weapon which, if in the wrong hands, could be potentially lethal. There is no place on the streets of Sussex for items such as this, and anyone caught in possession of an offensive weapon will be dealt with robustly.”
Gunn, who is unemployed, pleaded guilty to being in possession of an offensive weapon in a public place at Lewes Crown Court on Thursday, 8 February.
He was sentenced to eight months’ imprisonment, suspended for 24 months. He was also ordered to pay £250 costs and a £140 victim surcharge.
Following his conviction, the weapon was destroyed.
