Boy, 15, orders sword on ebay (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

Boy, 15, orders sword on ebay

10:31am Monday 14th January 2008 in Swindon By Sarah Hilley

WENDY Keenan went straight to the police when she saw a gift that arrived for her son Aiden.

The 15-year-old wanted to buy a fake Samurai sword advertised on eBay for £7.99.

Expecting it to be plastic and thinking that Aiden could hang it on his bedroom wall, she agreed.

But Wendy and Aiden could not believe it when they opened a long thin box and found a lethal, razor-sharp 26-inch blade on Wednesday.

"It was a weapon," said Wendy, 46. "It could chop off a limb like butter.

"I was absolutely gobsmacked that it went through the mail. I told Aiden you are not having that'.

"I immediately thought it must be illegal and headed to the police station the day it arrived."

She got another shock when police officers at Gablecross police station told her it was currently perfectly legal as long as the dangerous weapon stayed indoors.

"To my horror I was told if I wanted to place the sword on my living room wall for all to see that it is okay and it is okay to sell and to buy it.

"I am not sure which I was more shocked about - the fact that it was so cheap and easy to buy or that it was legal."

The mum-of-five, from Park North, believes that the ownership and dealing of Samurai swords should only be allowed if buyers and sellers have a special collector's licence.

"I was wrong when I said yes' to my son when allowing him to buy this sword and never again will I be so naïve as to think that this sort of thing is so easy to purchase with no questions asked," Wendy said.

The eBay dealer, called Clarendon Imports, also boasts next-day delivery of machetes and battle-axes with claims of razor sharpness.

The sinister weapons are often compared with swords used in movies such as Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill in the product descriptions.

Wendy was worried that if she kept the sword at home, her son and friends may be tempted to play act and someone could get hurt.

"I would love to see the law changed," she said.

Police officers have ordered for the weapon to be destroyed, as Wendy said she did not want it.