Man arrested for being in possession of a taser escapes jail sentence

A MAN who had faced five years in jail after buying a stun gun to play practical jokes on friends was shown mercy by a judge yesterday.

Callum Flood, 23, of Mossgiel Place, Dundee, paid £10 at a party for the Taser which had the appearance of a mobile phone.

Police found the gun in the back pocket of his jeans when he was being detained after “an altercation” at his girlfriend’s home in May last year.

At the High Court in Edinburgh, Flood admitted unlawful possession of the gun, which was deemed a firearm under the Firearms Act, and faced a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.

The judge, Lord Brodie, had to accept there were “exceptional circumstances” in the case to avoid imposing the term. He noted that it was not a lethal weapon and deferred sentence on Flood for a year to give him the chance to show he could stay out of trouble.