East Preston: Man Jailed For Illegally Importing 'Stun Guns'

12 January 2015, 14:37

A man from West Sussex has been jailed for five and a half years for illegally importing taser 'stun guns' disguised as torches.

Aaron Davies, 30 of Sea Road, East Preston, was sentenced at Chichester Crown Court on Friday 9th January.

He was convicted of importing prohibited weapons, 22 stun guns disguised as torches, into the country with intent to evade a prohibition, and with possession of them.

Stun Guns are prohibited weapons; they are more powerful than the taser devices used by police focres in the UK. Police say stun guns have no legitimate use in this country.

Davies was also sentenced to an additional nine months in prison for separate counterfeit goods offences.

The prosecution followed an investigation in which Davies home address and his work place, a business unit at the Rudford Industrial Estate in Ford, were searched by officers in May 2013.

The investigation began in April 2013 when Border Agency staff at Coventry intercepted a Parcelforce parcel originating from China. The customs declaration listed the contents as 'Flashlight 7' but when they opened the package they discovered seven boxes each containing a stun gun device disguised as a torch.

The parcel was destined for Davies' work address at Ford, Bulldog Enterprise Ltd, and on 1 May 2013 Sussex detectives searched the address and arrested him.

His business dealt with electrical good such as toys, car sales, as well as valeting. He would bulk purchase items and try and sell on for profit.

The search uncovered 13 identical stun guns hidden in the suspended ceiling void. In his car were found two more boxed stun guns hidden in the spare tyre void in the boot.

Davies' work computer was seized and evidence obtained showing that he had been actively tracking parcels en route to him from China, including the parcel that had been intercepted the previous month.

Also seized during the search were various counterfeit goods that he was selling or intending to sell on eBay. Davies had previously had numerous eBay accounts suspended resulting from his selling activities and outstanding debts over goods and payments. He admitted that he had looked at various methods of circumventing his ban from eBay so he could continue to do business on the site. At a previous separate hearing he pleaded guilty to ten counterfeit goods offences.