HGV driver jailed after being caught with stun gun

An HGV driver who bought a stun gun for his protection after being attacked in France has been jailed for 18 months.

On Monday, the High Court in Glasgow heard that Graeme McMurray, 40, from Denny in Falkirk, bought the weapon for £15 on the internet and received a free pepper spray with his purchase.

The items were found during a routine search of his lorry at the P&O Ferries terminal in Cairnryan, Dumfries and Galloway, when he was en route to Belfast, Northern Ireland, on November 5, 2019.

In court, McMurray admitted possessing the stun gun and the pepper spray illegally.

Prosecutor Bill McVicar said: “He stated that nobody else had access to the items and that he bought them for personal protection having been attacked by migrants in Boulogne, France, in 2018 when his arm was broken.”

During the search at the ferry port the stun gun was found in a rucksack in the passenger side footwell. The pepper spray was found in the overhead locker on the driver’s side in a black and green coloured canister.

The stun gun was examined and found to be capable of producing a high voltage shock able to temporarily incapacitate someone, although it had to be charged before it could be tested.

The pepper spray contained a noxious substance which could cause copious tears, sickness or vertigo.

Both are prohibited weapons.

McMurray was sacked from his job as a lorry driver as a result of the incident.

Judge Lord Mulholland told McMurray: “You pled guilty to possession of a pepper spray for your protection after you were assaulted by illegal immigrants during the course of your work.

“That is no excuse, you have only yourself to blame. Any cursory internet search would reveal these weapons are illegal.”

Defence counsel Lorraine Glancy said: “He was in full-time employment as an HGV driver. As a result of this his employer sacked him.

“He purchased the stun gun for his protection and got the pepper spray as a free gift.”