'Samurai sword' man warned he faces jail

A graduate caught late at night armed with a Samurai sword while wearing a Friday 13th-style horror film hockey mask has been warned he faces jail for the "really serious" offence.

Scared members of the public phoned the police after spotting a group of young people brandishing bricks and sticks in the early hours of Friday.

When Abdullahi Abdullahi, 21, spotted the police arrive at the scene in Islington, north London, he ran off, London's Highbury Magistrates' Court heard.

He dumped the two foot long sword and tore off the hockey mask - like that worn by Jason Voorhees in the classic horror film.

Adeolu Odusote, prosecuting, told the court: "Police were called by a member of the public saying there were kids in the location carrying bricks and sticks. it was around 12.10am.

"They saw Mr Abdullahi carrying a 'bag for life' shopping bag. When he saw the police he ran off and was chased.

"During the chase they lost sight of him, when they regained sight of him he no longer had the bag.

"Police found the bag, in the bag was the Samurai sword which is about two feet in length. The hockey mask was found on the ground."

When police showed Abdullahi the sword and mask, the graduate insisted he was only carrying them for self defence because he had been stabbed twice before.

He told the officers: "I've never been nicked before, I'm trying to defend myself. They stabbed me in my back.

"I'm not a mentally ill person. I'm not a terrorist."

Abdullahi, of Elthorne Road, Archway, north London, a computer science graduate, today pleaded guilty to having an offensive weapon in a public place.

The court was shown a picture of the large Japanese sword.

In mitigation Anthony McKen, defending, said: "He hasn't used the weapon itself at that point to cause any fear.

"It wasn't displayed to the public in terms of him waving it around or threatening anyone with it."

And he blamed his client's behaviour on peer pressure and fear of violence.

But District Judge Mary Connolly dismissed this and said: "If he is in fear of violence why is he out at night with a hockey mask and sword? You are at home behind closed doors.

"Peer pressure doesn't put you out on the street."

Warning Abdullahi that he will be jailed, she added: "This is a really serious offence. You are found out at night wearing a hockey mask carrying a very large offensive weapon in dangerous circumstances because others were around.

"You ran off discarding it.

"You can anticipate a sentence of imprisonment - that is what is going to happen to you. It is a question of length."

She bailed him to appear at Blackfriars Crown Court on September 1 to be sentenced.