The former All Black flanker Jerry Collins was arrested in Japan last week for carrying a knife in a department store. Collins who joined Yamaha Eagles Jubilo in 2011 told police upon his arrest that he feared for his safety and was described as anxious and sweating by an eyewitness. Another eyewitness is quoted on stuff.co.nz:

"I asked him if he was OK and reached out my arm towards him. He suddenly pulled a knife from his right pocket and placed it on the box on the counter. It was a kitchen knife," he said.Then he reached into his other pocket and pulled out a large survival knife from his left pocket and put that down on the box as well. It was a survival-style knife and had a long, curved blade.It was very large and the end of it was serrated.He kept saying the word shinkansen [bullet train] and abunai [danger],"

Collins has yet to be formally indicted, but if he is and found guilty he could face up to two years in prison. More details have emerged about the incident in The New Zealand Herald:


While we don't want to make light of the incident, the mental image of 30 Japanese guards escorting Collins who didn't need to be handcuffed or restrained, is a tough one to forget.

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