£600 fine over Edinburgh Airport stun gun find
27.03.09
An IT worker who bought a stun gun during a holiday in Thailand as a ‘novelty’ has been fined £600. Gary Bell, 44, from Methil in Fife, had pleaded guilty previously at Edinburgh Sheriff Court to being in possession of the prohibited weapon on 10 September 2008 when he was stopped at Edinburgh Airport.
Mr Bell arrived at the airport from Thailand via Amsterdam. The court heard the item was a torch that could be converted into a stun gun using a pin. Fiscal Depute, Sally Clark, said he told customs officers he had bought it as a novelty item, but was aware it could be used as a weapon.
Defence agent, Duncan Hughes, told Sheriff Derrick McIntyre: ‘Essentially it's a torch that can be converted into a stun gun with the insertion of a pin. He was having a meal in a restaurant in Thailand and there was a young boy going round the tables selling the items. He thought it was quite funny. Obviously it's not funny.’
Mr Hughes said the gun, which cost around £11, was capable of immobilising a person and leaving them dazed for a few minutes. Sheriff McIntyre ordered the confiscation of the gun and fined Mr Bell, who is currently working as a mini cab driver, £600.
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