Former All Black star arrested in Japan on weapons charge
Former All Black star arrested in Japan may be in jail for up to three weeks.
Jerry Collins' manager hopes to be able to speak with him today as the former All Black spends his second day in custody in Japan for carrying a knife into a department store.
Tim Castle told Radio New Zealand today he was unable to talk with Collins overnight because of communications restrictions.
"We were able to secure a slight relaxation of them for today, which will enable the consul to meet with Jerry at 9 o'clock this morning, Japan time.
"The other restriction lifted is in relation to written communication - Jerry is able to receive and send written messages and we hope they'll be continuously relaxed over this period."
Jerry Collins seemed perfectly fine when he spoke to his manager before flying out of Auckland for Japan last Tuesday.
Four days later he was in a Japanese jail after being arrested for carrying a 17cm kitchen knife in a food hall of a department store in the industrial city of Hamamatsu.
Exactly what happened in the intervening four days is unclear, but Collins apparently feared for his safety, telling police he was carrying the knife for self-defence.
"There was no suggestion of concern but clearly there is now," Collins' manager Tim Castle told the Herald last night.
"I'm investigating that because the whole issue of self-defence, the issue of rational justification of possession of the knife is very important.
"I'm on the case through the night as I work with the lawyer over there."
Mr Castle said it "wasn't helpful to speculate" whether Collins might have fallen foul of someone in Japan.
Earlier reports suggested there may have been an incident on social media that gave Collins cause for concern. It was also reported Collins may have been involved in an altercation earlier in the day.
"I am going to get to the bottom of it. He deserves support, which he is getting.
"And he deserves what everybody else is entitled to, which is innocent until proven guilty.
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