A man has been jailed for six months after he was seen brandishing a samurai sword on Christmas Day in Basingstoke.

John Shrubshall, 45, of no fixed abode, had the weapon in the B&M car park on Worting Road at around 7.45pm on 25 December.

A witness described seeing a man, armed with a sword, kicking the only parked vehicle which had been left in the car park. 

Shrubshall then placed the weapon underneath the car and fled the scene. Officers attended the location and arrested Shrubshall a short while later.

No one was threatened or injured during the incident.

Shrubshall was charged with possessing an offensive weapon in a public place.

He admitted the offence and was jailed for six months when he appeared at Basingstoke Magistrates Court on Wednesday 3 January.

Detective Constable Natalie Gardner, from CID North, said: “We uphold a zero-tolerance approach towards offensive weapons and knife crime.

“Thankfully, in this instance, no one was hurt, and I’m pleased that our officers were able to quickly attend the scene and make a swift arrest.

“Taking knives and weapons off the streets is another priority for us and I hope this result highlights how seriously we take these reports.”