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Probation for sword-wielding Sarnia man

March 12, 2022

Blake Ellis/Local Journalism Initiative

A Sarnia man found wandering around with a sword strapped to his back says he didn’t know what he was doing because he was high.
Christopher Brennan, 42, pled guilty to possession of a dangerous weapon in Sarnia court Feb. 28.
In Nov. 2020, Sarnia police were called about a man walking down Wellington St. in Sarnia with a 70 cm sword strapped to his back. When police approached Brennan, he handed it over. He was arrested and taken to hospital for an assessment.
Defence lawyer Terry Brandon said her client wasn’t thinking properly as his mind was riddled with drugs. Brandon said her client wants the court to know he had no intention of threatening or harming anyone with the sword. He told police at the time, he knows of 15 people who had been murdered and he needed the sword for protection.
 Brennan admitted this was a dangerous situation in a public setting, as he plead guilty. He was sentenced to one year probation and is prohibited from owning weapons for five years.

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