New law sends Russian man’s knife case to court

A district court fined a 40-year-old Russian man for bringing a knife to Kotka police station, in a case prosecuted under stricter rules introduced this year, Yle reports.

The man went to the station with his wife last March while she was due to give her fingerprints. During a security check, police found a folding knife with a 10-centimetre blade in his pocket. The knife was classified as an object capable of causing injury.

The man told police he had not thought about the knife when he took it with him and had no intention of harming anyone. He said he had used it while grilling with his family and also as a practical tool for everyday tasks and fishing.

The Kymenlaakso District Court fined him 40 day-fines, amounting to 240 euros. He must also pay a 120-euro victim surcharge.

A legal reform that took effect at the start of this year tightened rules on carrying bladed weapons or other objects capable of causing serious injury in public without an acceptable reason. Such cases are now generally referred for consideration of charges rather than dealt with by an on-the-spot fine. The maximum sentence for possessing a dangerous object is one year in prison.