Spare a thought for poor old Darren Day, who continues his inexorable slide from West End legend to washed-up has-been. Today, he appeared in court in Edinburgh Sheriff Court for being in possession of a kubotan.
The small but deadly weapon was designed in the 1970s for 'close combat control' by members of the Los Angeles police, but is readily available in martial arts shops and magazines. Although it looks more like a particularly pointy butt-plug, the kubotan can do some serious damage even in the hands of an "untrained person". I'm guessing that several years of modern tap and dance classes don't count as 'training' in this instance.
Still, there's a delicious irony to the fact that Day is officially being charged with "being in possession of an offensive weapon." Given that he's been through more West End actresses than Les Miserables, the highlight-headed heart-breaker is now more famous for his offensive 'weapon' than he is for the musicals he starred in.
In fact, his name is now so readily associated with the term 'love-rat' that he could give James Herbert enough material for another book.
Although he's done nothing to endear himself to the British public, other than irritating the shit out of Tara Palmer-Tomkinson on I'm A Celebrity..., this does seem unnecessarily harsh given the widespread availability of kubotans. Especially since, as Day's defence pointed out, a pen or set of house keys could be just as dangerous when used correctly.
It's also worth remembering that Darren may well have been carrying the weapon for protection. With a love 'em and leave 'em reputation like his, he can hardly be short of enemies.
No comments:
Post a Comment