Knife-wielding thug who fled police officer sentenced - Cardiff

A man who was caught carrying three knives at Cardiff Central station has been sentenced, following a British Transport Police (BTP) investigation.

Feras Eletrebi, 22, and of Salisbury road, Reading, was found guilty of three counts of possession of a bladed article in a public place and possession of cannabis at Cardiff Magistrates’ Court on 8 July.

He was handed a total sentence of 10 months in prison, suspended for 12 months. Eletrebi was also ordered to complete 80 hours of unpaid work, pay £207 in compensation, as well as a forfeit and destruction order for the drugs and weapons.

At around 7.30pm on Tuesday 3 December, a BTP officer stopped and challenged Eletrebi while on patrol at Cardiff Central station after noticing a smell of cannabis from a cigarette he was smoking.

After admitting it was cannabis, Eletrebi made an escape and ran towards the busy car park at the rear of the station. The officer ordered him to stop, but he continued to run away and shouted, “I’ve got a knife.”

Spotting a weapon in his hand and recognising the serious risk Eletrebi was posing to the members of public in the car park, the officer drew his taser.

Eletrebi threw an item to the ground, which was later found to be a meat cleaver, before jumping over the wall of the car park and running into oncoming traffic on Penarth road.

The officer caught Eletrebi, who was still carrying a knife, and detained, disarmed and arrested him at the scene.

A lock knife with the blade in position was found on the floor where Eletrebi had been and following a search further items were found in his possession, including a Stanley knife.

BTP Inspector Mike Jones, said: “There’s absolutely no excuse to be carrying offensive weapons on the railway, and we’re pleased to see Eletrebi has been punished for his actions.

“Thanks to the incredibly brave actions of our officer, three weapons have been removed from the network.

“Thankfully, incidents like this are rare on the railway, but you can help us by keeping an eye out for anything or anyone suspicious and texting us discreetly on 61016.”