A man ‘caught with two knives’ in Swindon town centre has appeared in court.
Yesbin Gurung denies two counts of possession of a blade in public and being drunk in charge of a vehicle following the incident on 1 December 2023.
The 25-year-old was arrested after police were deployed to reports of a male with a knife in Queen Street, near the David Murray John Tower, at around 4am.
A taxi driver called 999 claiming that he had seen a male wearing a face covering and holding a knife, prosecutor Pauline Lambert told Swindon Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday (17 January).
He alleged that when the police arrived on scene, the male got into a BMW 1 Series. The witness reported seeing two knives held by the suspect while inside the vehicle.
Officers arrested Gurung, and subsequently found two knife sheaths in his car, along with two knives – one with a 8-10 inch blade and a machete – under his car.
In custody, the defendant is said to have provided an evidential sample of breath reading 57 microgrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres. The legal limit is 35 microgrammes.
The case was deemed too serious for magistrates, and it was sent to Swindon Crown Court for a plea and trial preparation hearing on 16 February.
Gurung, of Dover Street, was released on bail.
