A man who was caught with a stun gun which looked like a mobile phone has been jailed for five years.
Michael Cleer was found with the weapon at the Kensington Bar, in Paisley Road West, Glasgow, on 25 August last year.
The 36-year-old claimed he had bought it on the internet to protect his mother who had been receiving “unwanted attention” from a neighbour.
Cleer admitted possessing the stun gun and was given the minimum term laid down under firearms legislation. The High Court in Edinburgh heard how police entered the pub after receiving information.
They found Cleer sitting at a table and he was asked if he had anything which he should not have or which might cause injury to officers if searched.
When he replied that he did not, Cleer was told he was being detained for a search as he was suspected of having a firearm. The officers later found the Chinese-made device, which can discharge high-voltage electricity, in the waistband of his trousers.
Cleer initially claimed it was a mobile phone but later said his mother had been getting unwanted attention from a neighbour and he wanted to get something for her to “make her feel safe”. He accepted that he had hidden the stun gun in the waistband of his trousers as he knew he should not have it in his possession.
He told police: “I knew it wasn’t 100 per cent legal but I didn’t think it was illegal.” The court heard the stun gun falls within provisions of the Firearms Act which set a minimum jail sentence of five years unless a court is satisfied exceptional circumstances exist.
Judge Lord Turnbull said it was submitted on Cleer’s behalf that he did not appreciate the device was classified as a firearm. But the judge said he did not consider that exceptional circumstances were present which would allow him to depart from the minimum sentence set by parliament.