Perth man serving gun ban was found with air rifle in car

A Perth man banned from possessing a rifle due to a previous offence has claimed he only had an air pistol to shoot pigeons.

William Hope, Station Road, was caught with an air pistol and pellets on June 9 2014 at Old High Street, Perth.

However, the court heard that because Hope was sentenced to three years in jail in 2008 for a previous unrelated offence, he should not be in possession of a gun of any description.

Sheriff Simon Collins was told that Hope’s mother became concerned that the accused was in possession of a firearm and contacted police.

When officers found him in his car with the air rifle they had concerns over his mental health and Hope later spent time in Murray Royal Hospital.

Sheriff Collins heard that were it not for his previous offences the weapon would not have been illegal for Hope to own.

He said: “While it remains a serious matter it is not as serious as might first appear on the indictment.”

Sentence was deferred until March for reports.