A Dundee man was sentenced to a minimum five year statutory prison sentence after police discovered a stun gun disguised as a torch in his house.
Allan Turnbull kept the non-lethal weapon in his house in a rucksack.
After police searched his house, Turnbull admitted he knew it was illegal to posses the weapon, but said it had never left the property he shared with his infirm mother.
In fact, Turnbull had only used the device, which was made up to look like a torch, on himself – discharging it into his leg while he was in his room, according to his defence solicitor Ian Houston.
Mr Houston said: “Forensic scientists examining the weapon determined it was non-lethal.
“He tried the weapon out on himself by discharging it into his leg. It was disguised as a torch.
“He has been on bail since pleading guilty to the charge, and has attended every court appearance.
“He said he bought the torch as advertised, which was as a torch which had a self defence function.
“He has said since his arrest: ‘Had I realised the device would lead to all this I would have smashed it into pieces’.
“There is a total lack of any suggestion the stun gun was to be used for nefarious circumstances.”
Mr Houston argued there was no “clear” policy on the part of the crown regarding how sentencing should proceed under the circumstances, something the solicitor called “disturbing”.
Parliament dictates that firearms offences carry a minimum five year jail term.
Sentencing Turnbull, Sheriff Simon Collins QC said: “The question is whether the crown has taken into consideration all of the relevant circumstances.
“You deliberately acquired the weapon understanding it was unlawful to do so.
“I am obliged to imprison you for five years.”
Turnbull pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm disguised as another object, namely a stun gun at an address in Dundee in May of this year.
He also pleaded guilty to possessing three cannabis plants.
Turnbull was jailed for five years in relation to the firearms charge and five months consecutively served for the cannabis find.
A value for the cannabis could not ascertained as the plants had not fully harvested.
The weapon was also forfeited to the court.
