Judge backs newspaper's weapons campaign

The judge who jailed a man for committing murder with a samurai sword has lent support to a campaign by the Exeter Express & Echo calling for tighter restrictions on the sale and possession of ornamental weapons. Three days after sentencing Bradley Moran to 17 years for killing Matthew Stiling outside a Sidmouth nightclub, Judge Graham Cottle spoke to the paper "as a member of the public" and said: "I support the introduction of much stricter measures governing the possession of and purchase of weapons like this." The paper launched its campaign in January but muted its publicity until the trial had concluded. The senior detective who led the murder inquiry has also backed the campaign, which resulted in 3,752 weapons being surrendered in Devon and Cornwall during a summer amnesty. (Via Exeter Express & Echo)