Man found carrying meat cleaver and two other knives during police chase at Cardiff station sentenced
A man who was caught carrying a meat cleaver and two other knives at Cardiff Central station has been sentenced.
Feras Eletrebi, 22, ran from police at the station in December last year after an officer stopped him because they suspected he was smoking cannabis.
The man from Reading was found guilty of three counts of possession of a bladed article in a public place at Cardiff Crown Court earlier this month. He was also found guilty of possession of cannabis.
He was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work as well as pay £207 in compensation.
At around 7.30pm on Tuesday 3 December, a British Transport Police officer stopped and challenged Eletrebi while on patrol at Cardiff Central station after noticing the smell of cannabis coming from the cigarette he was smoking.
Eletrebi admitted it was cannabis but then tried to make an escape by running towards the car park at the back of the station. The officer ordered him to stop but Eletrebi kept running while also shouting, "I've got a knife".
The police officer noticed a weapon in Eletrebi's hand and drew his own taser in response.
Eletrebi then threw an item to the ground before jumping over the car park wall and continuing to run away, into oncoming traffic on Penarth Road. The object he had discarded was later found to be a meat cleaver.
The officer managed to catch Eletrebi and detain him. He was searched and found to be carrying another blade - a Stanley knife. A third lock knife, with the blade in position, was also found on the floor where Eletrebi had been standing.
British Transport Police Inspector, Mike Jones, said: "There's absolutely no excuse to be carrying offensive weapons on the railway, and we're pleased to see Eletrebi has been punished for his actions.
"Thanks to the incredibly brave actions of our officer, three weapons have been removed from the network.
"Thankfully, incidents like this are rare on the railway, but you can help us by keeping an eye out for anything or anyone suspicious and texting us discreetly on 61016."