Man jailed for wielding ‘frightening’ hunting knife on train
Gloire Pongo, 25, of guildford Road, Newham, was caught with the blade while travelling between Hythe and Witham Picture: BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE - Credit: BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE
A man caught brandishing a “frightening” machete on a train from Colchester will spend nine months behind bars.
The machete Pongo was carrying. He was detained by officers on the train and was sentenced to nine months in prison at Chelmsford Crown Court Picture: BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE - Credit: BRITISH TRANSPORT POLICE
Gloire Pongo, 25, of Guildford Road, Newham, appeared before Chelmsford Crown Court on April 10 to be sentenced, having previously pleaded guilty to possessing a bladed article in a public place.
He will also pay a £140 victim surcharge.
The incident happened on January 20 when a passenger on board a train travelling between Hythe and Witham reported that Pongo had pulled out a large hunting knife and threatened him.
Following this report, officers worked with Greater Anglia to identify the service and detain Pongo when the train arrived at Witham station.
Inspector Mark Hook, of the British Transport Police, said: “This is a frightening weapon and I am really pleased we were able to intercept the train and arrest Pongo quickly. He is now rightfully behind bars.
“This case exemplifies the strength of our relationship with the rail industry. Together, we reacted quickly to a report of a man in possession of a knife, we identified the train and met it, later detaining a man with no harm coming to passengers.
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“We’ll continue to work closely with all our rail industry partners to drive out knife crime, and send a very clear message that possessing these potentially deadly weapons will not be tolerated.”
