CALLS to control the sale of samurai swords were made today after two thugs were jailed for a vicious attack on a York man.

The judge in charge of the case in which Acomb resident Steven Johnson was sliced in the face and arm, and struck on the head with an ornamental samurai sword, voiced his concerns at how easily they could be bought.

York MP Hugh Bayley is to ask the Home Office to consider whether they should be included on the list of banned weapons.

North Yorkshire Trading Standards chiefs said they were very concerned at the kinds of knives that could be bought in shops and over the Internet.

Judge Paul Hoffman, the Honorary Recorder of York, who jailed John Christopher O'Callaghan, 39, and Stephen David Hammond, 49, for a total of 15 years for the violent assault, said: "Samurai sword incidents are increasing. That is because it is easy for people to buy them. There is no control over them."

After the judge made his remarks, the Evening Press bought a 3ft sword from a York gift shop. The swords are freely available across the city, as well as over the internet. We noticed a set at The Japanese Shop, in Coppergate, where one was recently given away as a raffle prize during the Viking Festival.

At Whigmaleeries, in Stonegate, a reporter paid £69.99 for a Katana sword - which was described in the shop as the "deadliest" of samurai weapons.

Our reporter paid in cash, was not asked what he intended to do with the weapon, and the transaction was completed within minutes.

Mr Bayley said: "The law already makes certain types of knives illegal. I have written to the Home Office asking them to consider whether samurai swords should be also be banned. The difficulty is lots of people put them on their walls as decoration. Are the numbers of crimes committed with so great that you should make collectable items no longer collectable?"

Mr Bayley also intends to table a Parliamentary question to uncover how many prosecutions and convictions have been secured for offences relating to knives and swords in York and North Yorkshire Police, and across England, in 1995 and each year since.

A spokesman for North Yorkshire Trading Standards, which has spearheaded a national campaign encouraging tougher legislation on knife sales, said they were pushing for changes in legislation over the ways swords and knifes were sold. He said: "We feel these knives are too easily available, whether it is by normal sale or through the Internet. There can be some horrendous weapons and we are pushing for changes in legislation."

The Home Office said that although a review of knife crime was being looked at, there were no plans to either ban samurai swords or control their sale other than through current regulations.

Detective Constable Duncan Thackray of York CID, the officer who led the Johnson inquiry, said he felt the majority of dealers behaved responsibly. He said: "We have had incidents, but the problem is more about the person who has the weapon than where they have got it from. I consider that most people who sell these weapons are responsible people and we are happy with the situation the way it is. I don't blame the dealers, providing they sell them to the right people for the right reasons."

At Whigmaleeries, no one was available for comment.

Updated: 09:53 Friday, March 04, 2005