THE family of a Newport man murdered with a samurai sword say they are "disgusted" that similar weapons are being sold near the place where he was killed.

Residents in Pill contacted the Argus after they saw swords for sale at a shop called Newport Martial Arts, which has opened in Upper Dock Street in the city.

Father of three Lemy Bullock was murdered with a samurai sword in Harvey's Bar, Pill, on March 15, 2005.

His mum, Gwenda, said: "I think it's disgusting that the swords are on sale - the shop should be shut down right away.

"People in Pill should get together to get it shut down. It's an insult to Lemy's memory. I think a lot of people will feel that way."

Lemy's friend, Richard Baldone, of Coriander Close, Newport, contacted the Argus after seeing the swords.

"The first thing that came to my mind was the murder of my friend Lemy," he said.

"This is not fair to the family and friends of Lemy who are bound to see these weapons displayed.

"I'm sure the people of Newport don't want to see this sort of thing in our city centre, or any more violence."

Howard Williams, owner of Newport Martial Arts, was "sympathetic" to Mr Bullock's family and understood Pill people's feelings.

But he said: "I have been retailing these items for 15 years. I'm a former South Wales Police special constable so I know the law well. Our swords are too expensive for criminals. They've got an average price of £100.

"Criminals are more likely to use household knives, go to the market or buy weapons off eBay than at a specialist martial arts store like mine."

Mr Williams, who ran a similar shop in Cardiff for 15 years, said he was strict about who he sold knives to.

"If I'm not 100 per cent sure about the buyer I will not sell items to them," he said.

Three men - Mohammed "Mo" Nasser, 44, of Kirby Lane, Pill, Martyn Bruce, 38, of Courtybella Gardens, Pill, and Aaron Kent, 24 - are serving life for Mr Bullock's murder.

A Gwent police spokesman said officers, under Operation Dalston, were working hard to rid Pill of knives.