Man arrested for having a Samurai sword after he fell on it and called 999

Fate added insult to injury in the form of a criminal conviction for a man who literally fell on his own sword.

Shaun Hogg’s prized katana – the single-edged blade historically favoured by Japan’s samurai warriors – was kept mounted on a wall bracket at his home in Ipswich, Suffolk.

While removing the sword with plans to give it a clean, he slipped and fell, cutting his chin on the blade.

The 45-year-old called 999 and was taken to hospital by paramedics, who told hospital staff what happened.

Hospital managers then notified police of their suspicion Hogg was in possession of an illegal weapon.

Samurai swords longer than 50cm are generally illegal in the UK, with exceptions available for some cases such as historical reenactments and antique collecting.

Prosecutors said Hogg had made searches online about last year’s changes to laws around owning bladed weapons, which banned ‘zombie-style’ knives and machetes, and wrongly concluded he could own a katana.

The court heard the sword was bought for ornamental purposes but Hogg’s cicumstances did not qualify for one of the exceptions.

He was handed a four-month prison sentence suspeneded for 18 months and ordered to undertake a rehabilitation programme.

Hogg also pleaded guilty to an unrelated offence in which he had breached a three-year ban from Colchester city centre.

The ban was imposed in October 2023 after he hit a police car with a stolen disability vehicle while trying to evade officers.

The defendant also admitted to kicking an officer while in his cell, though he insisted it was an accident.

He was ordered to pay the officer £50 and was fined another £50, adding to further costs and fines of £264.

He insisted it would be the last time he is brought before a court, saying: ‘I’m going to change. I’ve had enough.’

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