A 19-year-old man from Eastleigh was jailed for nine months yesterday (15 Feb) after being found guilty of affray and possessing an offensive weapon in a public place during an incident back in March last year

It comes after officers responded to reports of two groups of young people targeting one another with weapons in the early afternoon through to the evening of Tuesday 2 March across Eastleigh.

Seamus Brenden Sean Ford, aged 19, of The Quadrangle, Eastleigh was charged with one count of affray and one count of possession an offensive weapon after being seen on CCTV attempting to stab an individual on 2 March.

He was also stop checked the following day (3 March 2021) under a Section 60 order which was in place at the time and was subsequently convicted of possession of a bladed article in a public place. He was later sentenced to five months imprisonment which was served in April 2021.

A Section 60 emergency power was implemented for a 48-hour period between Tuesday 2 March through to Wednesday 3 March, to improve the powers available to officers to address the incidents involving violence and the use of weapons, which could have potentially caused significant harm.

Ford was found guilty at Southampton Crown Court for the initial offences committed on Tuesday 2 March 2021 and was jailed yesterday (16 February 2022) for nine months for the offence of affray and six months for possession of an offensive weapon – which will run concurrently.

Eastleigh District Commander, Chief Inspector Marcus Cator, said: “Tackling anti-social behaviour and associated crime related to this activity remains a priority across Eastleigh and Hedge End.

“The quick responsive action we took during this incident ensured that we prevented further incidents of serious violence in the local area – seizing a number of offensive weapons meaning they could no longer be used to cause harm – but also showed the effectiveness of our policing powers.

“We hope that the news of this sentencing sends out a strong message that we will not tolerate the use of offensive weapons to cause harm to other members of our communities and that we will take robust action to ensure that those responsible are put in front of the courts and brought to justice.”

If you see anything suspicious or you have been a victim of crime, please report it to police by calling 101 or by visiting the Hampshire Constabulary website. As always, if it is an emergency, or a crime is in progress, dial 999 immediately.