A Blairgowrie man imported a banned weapon as part of a “hobby” he shared with his late father.
Mark Campbell was caught with knuckledusters earlier this year. Perth Sheriff Court heard that the 44-year-old was a “collector”.
Solicitor Steve Lafferty said: “He accepted his culpability from the get go. His father was in poor health, and he’s since passed away.
“He was drinking to excess and was ordering things as a collector.
“It was an interest he shared with his father – it’s a hobby for him. It was folly for him to continue collecting these items.”
He added Campbell suffered from “significant” mental health problems.
Sheriff Keith O’Mahony said he had never had a similar case call in front of him before.
He said: “I’ve never encountered an offence of this nature before – importing knuckledusters.
“I’m prepared to accept your position that it was merely as a collector’s item and you had no intent to use them offensively.
“However it’s also quite clear that if they had fallen into the wrong hands they could have been used offensively.”
Campbell, of Harriet Row, Blairgowrie, admitted importing the knuckledusters, a prohibited weapon, to his home address between February 12 and April 16 this year.
He was ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work.
Government guidance states it is an offence to import certain weapons into the UK.
Items subject to the restrictions include butterfly, zombie and “stealth” knives, samurai swords with curved blades over 50cm in length, knuckledusters and batons.
In 2018 the Border Force confiscated more than 6,500 offensive weapons in the year to September, a rise of 61% from the previous year.
In the same year officers took possession of 7,668 bladed items over the same period – compared with 3,800 in the previous 12 months.
The figures cover seizures made at all points of entry to the UK.
Detailed breakdowns are not published, but the Home Office said the majority of knives and offensive weapons are seized in postal, fast parcel and freight modes.
Some organisations are allowed to import and hold restricted items for specified purposes, such as police forces importing batons and truncheons.
Allowances are also made for theatrical performances, films and TV productions.
