Scotland ministers seek stricter rules for online knife purchase

Edinburgh, Feb 1 (IANS) Scottish ministers are pressing for stricter restrictions on sale of knives online, after the brutal stabbing on a schoolboy last year, media reports said.

Michael Matheson, the Scottish justice secretary, has approached Home Office ministers asking for a cross-government effort to toughen up restrictions on online knife sales, the Guardian reported.

Bailey Gwynne, 16, was stabbed to death by a fellow pupil during a fight in a school in Aberdeen, Scotland on October 28, 2016. His killer was subsequently jailed for nine years for culpable homicide.

The killer, bought a folding knife with an 8.5 cm blade for ?40 ($50) from online shopping portal Amazon and avoided the mandatory age check by the courier as he putting a note on his front door rather than accepting the delivery in person.

It is illegal to sell a folding knife to anyone under 18 if it has a blade more than 3in (7.62cm) long.

"We can act to change the law in Scotland on the purchase of knives. But as the purchase and delivery of knives crosses the borders of all UK countries, it is clear that the impact of a change only in Scotland would be limited," Scottish education secretary John Swinney said.

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