Capital police took down a sword-swinging wild man in the capital’s Sen Sok district on Sunday, but let him go following a rather novel excuse – spirit possession.

Cops on the scene said the 28-year-old had terrorised the neighbourhood before their arrival, attacking a variety of inanimate objects including a motorbike and a neighbour’s door.

When confronted by police, the man laid down his weapon, then blamed the ghost that had entered his body.

With no one injured – and a quickly inked agreement to pay compensation in place – the man was off the hook. Koh Santepheap