‘I was gardening when armed police arrested me – they thought I was an extremist’

Samuel Rowe, a 35-year-old gardener from Manchester, was arrested by armed police on July 3 for allegedly carrying a ‘large dagger’ while returning from his allotment with gardening tools, including a sickle and a trowel. After spending 12 hours in custody and receiving a caution, he expressed concern about the impact on his employment, given the stigma associated with knife crime.