 In the United Kingdom, it is legal to possess a bat 'leth on private property; however, they may be seized if they are considered to be "potential evidence of a criminal lifestyle." They are classed as weapons, which makes it illegal to carry one in a public place. A replica bat'leth was surrendered to Gloucestershire Constabulary as part of the 2006 knife amnesty in the UK. In 2008, a miniature bat 'leth was seized in Oxford after a 17-year-old was caught trying to smuggle it into a College. Police described the weapon as "most horrendous". The person was arrested and sentenced to six months in a young offenders' institution. In 2009, a man from Billingham, County Durham, was arrested for possession of a miniature bat 'leth in a public street. In the court documents, it was referred to as a "multi-bladed sword", and the judge said "I've never seen anything like it in my life before." The accused pleaded guilty at Teesside Crown Court, and he was later sentenced to thirteen weeks in prison. The court ordered that the bat 'leth was to be forfeited and destroyed. A custom-made bat'leth was seized in 2009 in Accrington, Lancashire.
