Finance boss bought stun guns after dog show jealousy

A WEALTH adviser bought two illegal stun guns to protect himself from jealous dog show rivals, a court has heard.

Frank Cochran, 59, bought the weapons – one of which was disguised as a torch – in March 2014 during a trip to California after “acrimony” from fellow dog show competitors.

Cochran directed police to the locations of both weapons during a raid on his property in Church Eaton, Staffordshire, on October 6 last year after his ex-wife had alerted them.

He admitted two counts of possession of illegal firearms at Stafford Crown Court and was sentenced to one year in jail, suspended for two years, and ordered to serve 150 hours of unpaid work and pay £535 in legal costs.

Cochran is a former member of the Great Britain Olympic trench shooting squad – where groups of clays are fired at varying angles from a trench – and has represented Scotland at shooting.

He is the managing director of FSC Investment Services, which is headquartered in Wolverhampton, and in 2009 was briefly hired as a financial adviser for Kerry Katona, the Atomic Kitten singer.

Judge Matthew Chambers QC, sentencing, said: “Anyone possessing a firearm, especially one disguised, commits a very serious offence.

“In early 2014 you went to California with your then wife. You were experiencing acrimony at the time following the showing of dogs and jealousy from fellow competitors.

“It was in this context that you were led to buying the weapon. It was a misguided self-protection.”