Kelty man had illegal stun gun

A police raid on a Fife man’s home found an illegal stun gun which he claimed he had bought on holiday years before.

James Ireland, 30, of Cocklaw Street, Kelty, appeared at Dunfermline Sheriff Court and admitted possessing the prohibited weapon on February 28 last year.

Ireland, a groundworker, said he had bought it on holiday in Turkey when he was “young and stupid”.

Depute fiscal Alex Piper said: “Police attended at the address with a search warrant following intelligence.

“They found the premises unsecured and found the accused inside. A stun gun was found inside a kitchen cupboard and the accused’s DNA was found on its surface.

“It was found to be in working order. It was a dual function electronic stun gun with ‘Police’ written on the side.”

Defence solicitor Susan Gibson said: “Mr Ireland tells me that he was on holiday with a group of male friends in Turkey about 10 years ago when he bought it as a novelty.

“He says he was young and stupid at the time.”

The solicitor said the item was also a torch and her client used it to look in his basement.

“It is far less powerful than the Tasers used by police forces,” added Ms Gibson. “My client’s position is that he was unaware that this item was illegal.”

Sheriff Craig McSherry called for reports and Ireland will be sentenced on February 14.