Latest news with #SamuelRowe
Wales Online
3 days ago
- Wales Online
Armed police swoop as man uses 'offensive weapon' to trim hedges
Armed police swoop as man uses 'offensive weapon' to trim hedges Samuel Rowe was accused of carrying a 'large dagger' when he was arrested outside his home Samuel Rowe says he was kept in a cell for seven hours (Image: SWNS) A gardener was apprehended by armed police for "carrying a knife" while walking home with his gardening tools from the allotment. Samuel Rowe was detained, held in a cell and cautioned by police after they accused him of carrying a "large dagger' last month. He had just attended to his allotment vegetable patch and was trimming the hedges outside his home with a sickle when armed police descended on July 3. Samuel had his Japanese gardening trowel, a sickle and a fruit harvesting tool confiscated before being taken to a police station. He was then kept in a cell for over seven hours before he was released by police when he accepted a caution for possession of an offensive weapon. The theatre manager said he was left terrified when officers armed with guns arrived outside his home and now wants the caution overturned. The avid gardener, from Manchester, said: "I was coming back from my allotment in the morning. I'd just got home and started trimming the hedge at the top of my house, and then I heard shouting and it was armed police – two armed police telling me to 'drop the knife.'" "At the time I had my Japanese gardening sickle in my hand that I was using, so I dropped that along with the privet I'd been cutting. "Then they turned me around, pushed me up against the house, handcuffed me behind my back, took everything out my belt. "Then they asked me why I was there and where I'd been. Eventually they put me in the back of their van and took me to Cheadle Hulme police station, which is miles from my house. They got into their head I was some kind of extremist going out with knives." Samuel was arrested and kept in a cell (Image: SWNS) Samuel said that he was then held in cells and offered a solicitor, but never actually met one. He continued: "It was a good seven hours before an officer was assigned my case. "They came back and said 'we've tried contacting this solicitor three times and they've not answered the phone'. They said 'we can ring them again, start the process again with another solicitor, or you do the interview without a solicitor'. "By this point I was pretty traumatised, I'd spent hours in a cell with the lights dimming and brightening over periods of time. I didn't know exactly what time it was. "I'd tried phoning my partner to inform her of my whereabouts, with five different people, each time it felt like the first time I'd asked. Then this officer eventually took me out, it must have been 7.30 or 8pm at this point, to let my partner know, and all they did was call her up and tell her where I was. "They said 'to be honest, it's a courtesy call, he'll ring you when he gets out'." During the interview, Samuel says the police posed odd questions such as asking him to define an allotment. He said: "It didn't fill me with any kind of confidence I was going to be treated fairly, because I'd been arrested doing my gardening with what they were telling me was an offensive weapon. All the way through the interview I was saying 'this is what I had on me, if you look this up on the internet all these gardening sites will come up with gardening tools'. "One of the armed officers took one of them out of the pouch which was branded with the gardening brand – the kind of thing you see hanging off the belt of people on Gardener's World. It's not a weird thing to have on me, but they just weren't listening. "I was explaining I had good reason to take them to and from my allotment, I said my allotment isn't secure – people can break in and steal stuff, as they often do." Samuel's partner had gifted him the £32 Niwaki Hori Hori weeding trowel, which he wore in a sheath on his belt at the time of his arrest, as a birthday present. The £10 Ice Bear gardener's sickle was bought from an online garden centre, while the fruit harvesting tool – which he still hasn't received back – was handed down from his late grandmother. Samuel added: "It makes me angry, because they shouldn't have it. I'm still upset about her dying, and they just took it off me." The 35-year-old said he has been growing fruits and vegetables at his allotment since 2022, after waiting two years to secure a plot through his local council. Now, he is concerned that the police caution he accepted will show up on background checks if he applies for future job interviews, and wants to have it removed from his record. He said: "I've done absolutely nothing wrong in the past, because I didn't want to have any contact with the police. "I received a phone call [afterwards] from Greater Manchester's mental health team who were then asking questions about my lifestyle, religion, and that sort of thing. It's not a large dagger – it's a tool for digging with, and I kept telling them that. "It's not a peeling knife either, because why would I have a potato peeler in my pocket? It doesn't make sense." Greater Manchester Police said armed officers were dispatched as they were the nearest to the scene, after being alerted by a member of the public. The force denies that Samuel was ever refused legal advice, stating it attempted multiple times to contact a solicitor and he later chose to decline legal advice. Article continues below A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: 'At around 12.20pm on 3 July, we acted on a call from a member of the public that a man was walking in public wearing khaki clothing and in possession of a knife. 'Nearby officers were flagged down by the caller, who directed them towards a male. He was subsequently stopped and a small sickle, a large dagger which was in a sheath on a belt, and a peeling knife, were seized. 'He was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and taken into custody. He admitted the offence and was given a conditional caution, which entailed advice and guidance around the legislation of knives and bladed weapons in a public place.'
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Armed police arrest gardener taking trowel home from allotment
Samuel Rowe, 35, was detained and kept in a cell A gardener was arrested by armed police for "carrying a knife" while returning home with gardening tools from his allotment. Samuel Rowe, 35, was held in a cell and cautioned by police after they accused him of carrying a "large dagger" last month. He had just finished tending to his allotment vegetable patch and was trimming the hedges outside his home with a sickle when armed police descended on July 3. Samuel had his Japanese gardening trowel, a sickle and a fruit harvesting tool seized before being taken to a police station. He was then detained in a cell for over seven hours before he was released by police when he accepted a caution for possession of an offensive weapon. The theatre manager said he was left terrified when officers armed with guns arrived outside his home and now wants the caution overturned. The keen gardener, from Manchester, said: "I was coming back from my allotment in the morning. I'd just got home and started trimming the hedge at the top of my house, and then I heard shouting and it was armed police – two armed police telling me to 'drop the knife'. "At the time I had my Japanese gardening sickle in my hand that I was using, so I dropped that along with the privet I'd been cutting. Then they turned me around, pushed me up against the house, handcuffed me behind my back, took everything out my belt. "Then they asked me why I was there and where I'd been. Eventually they bundled me into the back of their van and transported me to Cheadle Hulme police station, which is miles away from my house. They got it into their heads that I was some sort of extremist wandering about with knives." Samuel claims he was then held in cells and asked whether he wanted a solicitor, but he never managed to see one. He said: "It was a good seven hours before an officer was assigned my case. "They came back and said 'we've tried contacting this solicitor three times and they've not answered the phone'. They said 'we can ring them again, start the process again with another solicitor, or you do the interview without a solicitor'. "By this point I was pretty traumatised, I'd spent hours in a cell with the lights going dim, going bright again over periods of time. I didn't know exactly what time it was. "I'd tried getting to phone my partner to let her know where I was, with five different people, each time it was like the first time I'd asked. Then this officer eventually took me out, it must have been 7.30 or 8pm at this point, to let my partner know, and all they did was ring her up and tell her where I was. "They said 'to be honest, it's a courtesy call, he'll ring you when he gets out'." During questioning, Samuel claims police posed bizarre questions such as what an allotment was. He said: "It didn't fill me with any kind of confidence I was going to be treated fairly, because I'd been arrested doing my gardening with what they were telling me was an offensive weapon. READ MORE: Elderly mum and son stuck in Travelodge living off Pot Noodles after eviction "All the way through the interview I was saying 'this is what I had on me, if you look this up on the internet all these gardening sites will come up with gardening tools'. One of the armed officers took one of them out of the pouch which was branded with the gardening brand – the kind of thing you see hanging off the belt of people on Gardener's World. "It's not a weird thing to have on me, but they just weren't listening. I was explaining I had good reason to take them to and from my allotment, I said my allotment isn't secure – people can break in and steal stuff, as they often do." Samuel's partner had gifted him the £32 Niwaki Hori Hori weeding trowel, which was in a sheath on his belt at the time of the arrest, for his birthday. The £10 Ice Bear gardener's sickle was bought from an online garden centre, while the fruit harvesting tool – which he's still not been returned – was a family heirloom from his late grandmother. Samuel continued: "It makes me angry, because they shouldn't have it. I'm still upset about her dying, and they just took it off me." Samuel has been growing fruit and vegetables such as rhubarb, broad beans, artichokes, and tomatoes, at his allotment since 2022. After a two-year wait on his local council's waiting list, he was allocated a plot. Now he is worried that the police caution he accepted might show up on background checks for future job applications. Samuel is now campaigning to have the caution removed from his record. He explained: "I've done absolutely nothing wrong in the past, because I didn't want to have any contact with the police. "I got a phone call [afterwards] from Greater Manchester's mental health team who were then asking for questions about my lifestyle, religion, and that kind of thing. It's not a large dagger – it's a tool for digging with, and I kept telling them that. It's not a peeling knife either, because why would I have a potato peeler in my pocket? It doesn't make sense." Greater Manchester Police said armed officers were dispatched as they were nearest to the location after being notified by a member of the public. The force denies any claims that Samuel was refused legal counsel, asserting that they attempted to reach a solicitor multiple times and ultimately, he opted to decline legal advice. A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: "At around 12.20pm on 3 July, we acted on a call from a member of the public that a man was walking in public wearing khaki clothing and in possession of a knife. 'Nearby officers were flagged down by the caller, who directed them towards a male. He was subsequently stopped and a small sickle, a large dagger which was in a sheath on a belt, and a peeling knife, were seized. 'He was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and taken into custody. He admitted the offence and was given a conditional caution, which entailed advice and guidance around the legislation of knives and bladed weapons in a public place.'
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Telegraph
Armed police arrest gardener over his arsenal of allotment tools
Armed police arrested a gardener for 'carrying a knife' as he walked home with his allotment tools. Samuel Rowe, 35, was detained, kept in a cell and cautioned after being accused of carrying a ' large dagger ' last month. He had just tended to his allotment vegetable patch and was trimming the hedges outside his home with a sickle when armed police swooped on July 3. His Japanese gardening trowel, a sickle and a fruit harvesting tool were confiscated before he was taken to a police station. He was then held in a cell for more than seven hours before he was released when he accepted a caution for possession of an offensive weapon. The theatre manager said he was left terrified when officers armed with guns turned up outside his home and now wants the caution overturned. 'Some kind of extremist' Mr Rowe, of Manchester, said: 'I was coming back from my allotment in the morning. 'I'd just got home and started trimming the hedge at the top of my house, and then I heard shouting and it was armed police – two armed police telling me to 'drop the knife.' 'At the time I had my Japanese gardening sickle in my hand that I was using, so I dropped that along with the privet I'd been cutting. 'Then they turned me around, pushed me up against the house, handcuffed me behind my back, took everything out my belt. 'Then they asked me why I was there and where I'd been. 'Eventually they put me in the back of their van and took me to Cheadle Hulme police station, which is miles from my house. 'They got into their head I was some kind of extremist going out with knives.' Conflicting accounts He said he was then kept in cells and asked if he wanted a solicitor, but he never got to see one. At interview, he says police asked him bizarre questions such as what an allotment was. He has been growing fruit and veg – including rhubarb, broad beans, artichokes, and tomatoes, at his allotment since 2022. Now, he is worried that the police caution he accepted will appear on background checks if he applies for future job interviews. Greater Manchester Police said firearms officers were sent as they were the closest to the scene after they were alerted by a member of the public. The force denies Samuel was ever refused legal advice, saying it tried multiple times to contact a solicitor and he chose to decline legal advice in the end. A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: 'At around 12.20pm on 3 July, we acted on a call from a member of the public that a man was walking in public wearing khaki clothing and in possession of a knife. 'Nearby officers were flagged down by the caller, who directed them towards a male. 'He was subsequently stopped and a small sickle, a large dagger which was in a sheath on a belt, and a peeling knife, were seized. 'He was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and taken into custody. 'He admitted the offence and was given a conditional caution, which entailed advice and guidance around the legislation of knives and bladed weapons in a public place.'
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Gardener walking home from his allotment is arrested by armed police after member of public called 999 over 'knifeman wearing khaki'
A gardener who strolled home from his allotment was arrested by armed police after a member of the public dialled 999 over a 'knifeman wearing khaki'. Samuel Rowe, 35, had been walking with his trug of vegetables and gardening tools in Manchester earlier this month when he made the decision to trim his hedge. Mr Rowe, who works as a technical manager at a theatre, whipped out his Japanese garden sickle which had been strapped to his belt. But he was interrupted after hearing shouting behind him from two armed officers who insisted he 'drop the knife'. The policemen then proceeded to ask Mr Rowe if he was 'autistic' and whether he had ever 'served' in the armed forces. 'They got into their head I was some kind of extremist going out with knives,' the keen gardener said. Mr Rowe explained the tools on his belt were a Niwaki Hori Hori gardening trowel in a canvas sheath, and an Ice Bear Japanese gardener's sickle. He recalled police had commented 'that's not a garden tool' when he pulled the implement out of its sheath despite Mr Rowe insisting it was 'the Niwaki-branded pouch that you get at garden centres'. Mr Rowe recalled: 'It was a good seven hours before an officer was assigned my case. They came back and said "we've tried contacting this solicitor three times and they've not answered the phone". 'They said "we can ring them again, start the process again with another solicitor, or you do the interview without a solicitor". 'By this point I was pretty traumatised, I'd spent hours in a cell with the lights going dim, going bright again over periods of time. I didn't know exactly what time it was. 'I'd tried getting to phone my partner to let her know where I was, with five different people, each time it was like the first time I'd asked. 'Then this officer eventually took me out, it must have been 7.30 or 8pm at this point, to let my partner know, and all they did was ring her up and tell her where I was. 'They said "to be honest, it's a courtesy call, he'll ring you when he gets out".' Mr Rowe was reportedly probed further on whether he was 'planning on doing something' with his tools and was asked to explain what an allotment was. He added: 'It didn't fill me with any kind of confidence I was going to be treated fairly, because I'd been arrested doing my gardening with what they were telling me was an offensive weapon. 'All the way through the interview I was saying "this is what I had on me, if you look this up on the internet all these gardening sites will come up with gardening tools". 'One of the armed officers took one of them out of the pouch which was branded with the gardening brand - the kind of thing you see hanging off the belt of people on Gardener's World. 'It's not a weird thing to have on me, but they just weren't listening. 'I was explaining I had good reason to take them to and from my allotment, I said my allotment isn't secure - people can break in and steal stuff, as they often do.' After several hours in custody the deflated gardener explained he had accepted a caution so would be released. Samuel's partner had given him the £32 Niwaki Hori Hori weeding trowel, which was in a sheath on his belt at the time of the arrest, as a birthday present. The £10 Ice Bear gardener's sickle was purchased from an online garden centre, while the fruit harvesting tool - which he's still not been given back - was passed down to him from his late grandmother. Samuel said: 'It makes me angry, because they shouldn't have it. I'm still upset about her dying, and they just took it off me.' Samuel has been growing fruit and veg - including rhubarb, broad beans, artichokes, and tomatoes, at his allotment since 2022. He was given a patch after a two-year period on his local council's waiting list. Now, he is worried that the police caution he accepted will appear on background checks if he applies for future job interviews. Samuel now wants to see the caution removed. He added: 'I've done absolutely nothing wrong in the past, because I didn't want to have any contact with the police. 'I got a phone call [afterwards] from Greater Manchester's mental health team who were then asking for questions about my lifestyle, religion, and that kind of thing. 'It's not a large dagger - it's a tool for digging with, and I kept telling them that. 'It's not a peeling knife either, because why would I have a potato peeler in my pocket? It doesn't make sense.' Greater Manchester Police said firearms officers were sent as they were the closest to the scene after they were alerted by a member of the public. The force denies Samuel was ever refused legal advice, saying it tried multiple times to contact a solicitor and he chose to decline legal advice in the end. A Greater Manchester Police spokesperson said: 'At around 12.20pm on 3 July, we acted on a call from a member of the public that a man was walking in public wearing khaki clothing and in possession of a knife. 'Nearby officers were flagged down by the caller, who directed them towards a male. 'He was subsequently stopped and a small sickle, a large dagger which was in a sheath on a belt, and a peeling knife, were seized. 'He was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon and taken into custody. 'He admitted the offence and was given a conditional caution, which entailed advice and guidance around the legislation of knives and bladed weapons in a public place.' Mr Rowe is now seeking legal representation to try to challenge his arrest and his caution as he is concerned the incident will affect his future employment given part of his job involves working with vulnerable adults. The gardener added he should not have been arrested by armed officers, did not deserve it, that his caution should be removed and his gardening tools ought to be returned. The 35-year-old concluded he 'might even like an apology' but estimated 'the chances of that are next to nothing.'
BBC News
4 days ago
- BBC News
Gardener arrested over 'dagger' trowel on his belt
A man returning home from his allotment found himself surrounded by armed police – because of a gardening tool on his Rowe was wearing a Japanese bladed trowel in a sheath on his hip as he got back to his house in Chorlton, as he was pruning his hedge, police arrived and Mr Rowe was handcuffed, arrested, and then put in a cell for 12 Manchester Police (GMP) said it had cautioned him for possessing a "dagger", but the 35-year-old theatre manager said he felt like he had no choice but to accept the reprimand so he could go home. Handcuffed Mr Rowe said he had been terrified when the armed officers – who did not draw their weapons – arrived outside his home on 3 said they were "shouting at me to drop the knife"."I said I didn't have a knife and they told me to drop the knife again."So I dropped my Japanese hand gardening sickle and a handful of privet that I just cut off the hedge."They turned me around, pushed me up against my house, handcuffed me, then put me in the back of a van," he said. Mr Rowe said he was then taken into custody where he was questioned by police."It felt like they'd gone out that day expecting to catch some kind of lone wolf attacker," he said."I was doing nothing treated me like I had been doing harm to people."Mr Rowe was carrying a Japanese-made trowel in its sheath, a small Japanese gardener's sickle, and a peeling said the peeling knife was his late grandmother's, that he'd bought the sickle a decade ago, and that the trowel – which has a short blade and wooden handle – was a Rowe said he was not aware of any warnings about carrying the tools in since his arrest, one has appeared on the manufacturer's tells customers "to familiarise themselves with offensive weapons law before carrying the tool in public", adding: "We strongly advise that you keep this tool concealed, sheathed, and out of sight in public places – preferably in a gardening bag or toolbox rather than on your belt." 'Large dagger' Mr Rowe said he had gone without any legal representation while in custody because officers had been unable to contact a solicitor for accepted a conditional caution, but said he was now worried it could affect his job as a technical manager at a theatre, where he sometimes had to work with vulnerable young are given to people on the basis that they admit an offence, but do not count as a criminal simple cautions are spent as soon as they are accepted, but others could be flagged up on standard and enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) checks."I don't believe I committed a crime," he said, adding he was worried the caution could affect future employment opportunities, and calling for it to be added that he understood the police had a job to do but was now scared to continue with what had been a lifelong said officers were responding to a call that they had seen a man with a knife."He was subsequently stopped and a small sickle, a large dagger which was in a sheath on a belt, and a peeling knife, were seized," the force said."He admitted the offence and was given a conditional caution, which entailed advice and guidance around the legislation of knives and bladed weapons in a public place." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
