Judge takes mercy on ‘polite’ man forced to stash shotgun in his loft

A JUDGE has taken mercy on a Derby man who was forced to stash a sawn-off shotgun in his loft.

Kevin Scriven, who suffers from numerous mental health issues, was found with the weapon in the loft of his Allenton home by police.

A hearing at Derby Crown Court on Wednesday, November 17, was told the 43-year-old was “petrified” of being sent to prison after he was charged with possession of a firearm without holding a firearm certificate.

However, the judge took mercy on him and declined to send him into immediate custody at the hearing, which was stopped twice due to the defendant suffering panic attacks.

The court had heard from prosecutors that officers had searched Scriven’s home in Addison Road, Allenton, on July 2019.

They found a sawn-off shotgun which was a match for a weapon which had been stolen from a farm in Derbyshire earlier in the year. They also found 16 shotgun cartridges next to it in the loft, while the parts that had been sawn off were found in an outbuilding at the property.

Kate Temple-Mabe, prosecuting, said: “The fact is it was in working order, it was readily accessible.

“He was struggling with his mental health. He had a heroin and cocaine addiction. Pressure was placed on him to take custody of the gun. He was too scared to refuse.”

Nicola Hunter, mitigating, told the court that her client had a reputation for being a “nice and polite man” and was seeking help for his problems.

“He had no intent of using or frightening anybody with the gun,” she said. “Pressure was placed on him at a very vulnerable time in his life. He is an uneducated man who has suffered terrible trauma as a child.

“He is clearly a troubled man who is registered disabled.”

She added that Scriven had a history of mental health issues, including depression, self-harm and anxiety, and that his panic attacks in the dock were not an act.

Recorder Simon Gurney said that while the firearms offence Scriven had pleaded guilty to was serious, he did not think sending him to prison would be the best outcome.

“I’m not going to send you to prison – you will be going home this evening,” he said. “This is your first appearance at the Crown Court. There are factors reducing seriousness.

“You held the item on behalf of somebody else by coercion. You were vulnerable, pressured and scared about what would happen if you said ‘no.’

“You suffer from depression punctuated by thoughts of selfharm. Your wife expresses her concerns for you.”

Recorder Gurney sentenced him to 15 months’ imprisonment, suspended for a year, and ordered him to undertake 20 rehabilitation activity sessions.

Pressure was placed on him to take custody of the gun. He was too scared to refuse.

Kate TempleMabe