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Zombie knives – also known as a zombie killer or zombie slayer knives – have previously been linked to gang crime.

They are made in various sizes, some with blades of up to 25 inches, and often bearing images and words that glamorise violence.

In August last year, parliament passed legislation to prohibit the sale, importation and manufacture of zombie knives in England and Wales, by making an amendment to the Criminal Justice Act 1988.

After Otaru was jailed, Andrew Baxter, deputy chief crown prosecutor at CPS East Midlands, said: “Carrying a knife, whether the offender uses it or not, is a very serious offence because of the violence it encourages and its potentially fatal consequences.

“At the CPS, we have seen first-hand the devastating impact of knife crime as our prosecutors work with families who have lost loved ones to knife crime or with people who have witnessed these crimes first hand.

“Possession of a knife is considered all the more serious in law if it is made specifically to cause injury. There can be no doubt that a zombie knife like the one carried by this defendant has only one purpose, so we have presented this case to the court as one of the utmost seriousness.

“There is no legal justification for carrying a knife such as this and the CPS will continue to work with the police and our communities to prosecute those who do decide to carry them to prevent further harm to our community.”