Three jailed after knife seen in shopping centre

Three men have been jailed after they were spotted with knives in a shopping centre.

Thames Valley Police was called to Centre:MK in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire at about 14:15 GMT on Thursday, 26 March.

Four men were arrested at the scene, of which three were later charged with possession of a knife in a public place.

They pleaded guilty at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court on 27 March and were given prison sentences of six, seven and nine months.

Police said specialist officers attended the incident but there were no reports of anyone being injured or threatened.

The incident comes weeks after security guard Gary Stanley was fatally stabbed while working at the shopping centre on 28 February.

Regan Shand, 21, of Oakfield Road in Croydon, was sentenced to nine months in prison.

Samuel Martin, 21, of High Street in Peterborough, was jailed for seven months.

Joshua Martin, 22, of Westerdale in Luton, who was also charged with possession of cannabis, was given a six-month prison sentence.

A fourth man from Dunstable has been charged with possession of cannabis.

Sgt Tom Hughes said: "Three knives have now been seized and removed from the streets of Milton Keynes.

"We will continue taking proactive action against those who seek to cause fear or harm within our communities.

"I hope these sentences show that anyone found carrying knives will be dealt with swiftly and robustly, in line with our zero-tolerance approach to weapon-related crime."

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