Unsettling story

[EternalOptimist]

This is a bit unsettling this, and its got me torn in my views.

My daughter went to visit a friend from her schooldays, they are both 35 now, and found her with puffy eyes and extremely agitated. The friend had obviously been crying.
The friends hubby is a taxi driver in Liverpool. Now taxi driving can be a bit risky, especially at night, so this guy carried a steak knife for protection, he reckoned that he could always claim it was for cutting up food.
A few weeks ago, he was pulled over by the police. He reckons he was sleeping in his car, the police accused him of trying to hide his face. They searched the car , found the knife and arrested him. There is a zero-tolerance policy of carrying knives in Liverpool.


So he is up in court and looking at three months. When he comes out there will be no job, no house, and judging by the puffy eyes, no wife either

[AtW]

3 months better than 3 years, after that when he came out he'd have another wife...

[MarillionFan]

There are plenty of ways of protecting one's self but carrying a massive steak knife is a little over the top. I weighty spanner or hammer would have been more likely as opposed to a samurai sword or sawn off.

[d000hg]

A big knife is crazy. You either have to hope they're scared, or be prepared to stab someone. Mace or whatever is probably better.

That said, I can understand wanting to have the equivalent of a baseball bat if you work with the drunken public.

[gingerjedi]

My step dad is a taxi driver here in the west country, he carries a cheese knife to cut cheese for his crackers.

100 miles, different world.

[vetran]

hasn't everyone got Large tyre spanner under their seat? Who wants a knife involved, more likely to cut myself.

Stupid but sad.

[Ravello]

Have to say a steak knife probably isn't the best choice. Something blunt and more easily explained might be better - a 6 battery Maglite or a wheel wrench are somewhat easier to justify having in a car...

Granted it's a bit late for that, but in terms of dealing with the current situation, get a good brief, get the punishment reduced to as low as possible, if he ends up having to do time speak to the mortgage lender and ask for a payment holiday - that's a lot less hassle for them to arrange than a repossession.

Oh and buy the wife some flowers

[MarillionFan]

Have to say a steak knife probably isn't the best choice. Something blunt and more easily explained might be better - a 6 battery Maglite or a wheel wrench are somewhat easier to justify having in a car...

Granted it's a bit late for that, but in terms of dealing with the current situation, get a good brief, get the punishment reduced to as low as possible, if he ends up having to do time speak to the mortgage lender and ask for a payment holiday - that's a lot less hassle for them to arrange than a repossession.

Oh and buy the wife some flowers

He is of course a scouser though. Breaking the law runs through his bones.

[milanbenes]

well I have to say,

considering how high profile knife crime is these days in the uk and the campaigns against it, I wouldn't recommend anyone to have anything resembling a knife in their person or car



Milan.

[Mich the Tester]

There are plenty of ways of protecting one's self but carrying a massive steak knife is a little over the top. I weighty spanner or hammer would have been more likely as opposed to a samurai sword or sawn off.

It didn't say 'massive steak knife'. A steak knife isn't usually very big.

Sounds very harsh to me to give someone 3 months for this; fair enough to give a warning and maybe a fine, but if there's no evidence to suggest it's for anything other than self defence, it seems a bit over the top to send the guy to prison and basically fook up his life. Would be different if he wa carrying a big samurai sword or a sub machine gun, which could suggest more aggressive intent than self defence.