Ruislip & Eastcote & Northwood Gazette
Man caught with 12-inch axe at train station is jailed
A HAYES man who was caught carrying a 12-inch axe by Project Servator officers in London has been jailed.
Nithusan Gobinathan, 22, and of Harries Road, was found guilty of possessing an offensive weapon at Blackfriars Crown Court on November 18. The Judge sentenced him to seven weeks in prison.
On April 16 2018, one of the British Transport Police’s (BTP) Project Servator teams were conducting a high visible patrol at Victoria railway station, in order to deter a variety of criminal activity, including terrorism.
Project Servator patrols consist of a wide range of police resources, and on this occasion, an explosive search dog was scanning people as they came through the barriers.
Gobinathan noticed the considerable police presence and caught the attention of plain clothed officers, who stopped to speak to him.
After raising the suspicion of officers he was stopped and searched, and the axe was found in his rucksack without its protective cover on.
He was arrested and taken into police custody.
Project Servator Inspector Pete Day said: “There’s absolutely no excuse to be carrying offensive weapons on the railway and, thankfully, Gobinathan will now have time to think about his choices in prison.
“Gobinathan tried to claim that he’d bought the axe to carry out garden work, so I’m pleased the jury saw straight through this and that he was handed a custodial sentence.
“We are specially trained in spotting individuals like him who would rather avoid us and we carry out high visibility Project Servator patrols like this every day, up and down the country.
“Don’t be alarmed if you do see us, we’re there to keep you safe and make sure the railway is a difficult place for people like Gobinathan to operate.
“You can help us by keeping an eye out for anything or anyone suspicious and texting us discreetly on 61016.”