A former soldier who handed a discarded shotgun in to police faces at least five years imprisonment for "doing his duty".This is a sad commentary not only on the gun laws in Britain, but the foolishness of the people who served on the jury.
Paul Clarke, 27, was found guilty of possessing a firearm at Guildford Crown Court on Tuesday – after finding the gun and handing it personally to police officers on March 20 this year.
The jury took 20 minutes to make its conviction, and Mr Clarke now faces a minimum of five year's imprisonment for handing in the weapon.
In a statement read out in court, Mr Clarke said: "I didn't think for one moment I would be arrested.
"I thought it was my duty to hand it in and get it off the streets."
The court heard how Mr Clarke was on the balcony of his home in Nailsworth Crescent, Merstham, when he spotted a black bin liner at the bottom of his garden.
In his statement, he said: "I took it indoors and inside found a shorn-off shotgun and two cartridges.
"I didn't know what to do, so the next morning I rang the Chief Superintendent, Adrian Harper, and asked if I could pop in and see him.
"At the police station, I took the gun out of the bag and placed it on the table so it was pointing towards the wall."
Mr Clarke was then arrested immediately for possession of a firearm at Reigate police station, and taken to the cells.
And this is exactly the kind of gun control that liberal Democrats would love to bring to the U.S.
There is a measure of justice in this case. The judge reduced the sentence:
Of course, this case should have been tossed out from the start, so any conviction of this guy is unjust, but Britain's "strict liability" laws don't leave any room for common sense.
Clarke was sentenced to a 12-month prison term, suspended for one year. He is also under curfew for one night from 8pm until 7am tomorrow morning (Saturday).
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3 comments:
Common Sense? What is that? It has been gone so long, I don't think anyone would recognize it!
My auntie is 75 years old and lives in England. She says the whole country is going to heck in a handbag.
And don't get her started on the National Health Service; she said it's "disastrous." In a passionate letter she said the nurses are wonderful, but her doctor was "a little s#!t." Her words, not mine, and she ought to know.
This is the typical type of mentality that the anti-gun group displays. They are a bunch of nuts.
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