A CARDONALD drug dealer with a fascination for weapons has been jailed for his hidden stash of stun guns, CS gas and pills.

At Glasgow Sheriff Court, Gordon McNeil pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of diazepam from his home address on November 10, 2016.

Following a police search of his Kinnell Avenue property on the same day, the 36-year-old also admitted having two stun guns and a small CS gas cannister in his possession – without the authority of the Secretary of State or Scottish Ministers contrary to the Firearms Act 1968.

The accused's defence agent explained: "On the face of it, it appears to be a guns and drugs situation. That is not the case for Mr McNeil."

The lawyer claimed that the drugs recovered and weapons unearthed were two separate – and unconnected – parts of McNeil's life.

The accused was said to have a fascination with non-conventional weapons. Having travelled the world, he has picked up oriental swords and novelty items for his collection. The stun guns were said to look like torches and the CS gas cannister was described as a keyring.

As the stun guns were freely available on Amazon at the time of the offence, McNeil believed they were not dangerous and could be used without authority or a licence. The items have since been removed from the online store following a press investigation and are now prohibited in the UK under the Firearms Act 1968.

In respect to being concerned in the supply of diazepam, the accused's lawyer claimed that he bought the lot for £200 and would share with friends when they went round to his house.

Sheriff William Totten stated it was an "ordinarily generous deal" given that McNeil was caught with thousands of pills with a street value in excess of £3,000 if sold individually.

The lawyer explained that the accused turned to prescription drugs following the death of his father years ago. McNeil was said to have bought the Class C drug in bulk with the sole intention of personal use and simply shared with friends.

The defence agent claimed McNeil, a cobbler who lived with his mother, had never been in trouble with the police before and "never had so much as a speeding ticket".

The accused was said to have suffered a "shock" from his arrest and had shown considerable remorse.

He was supported in court by his girlfriend of six years. When Sheriff Totten questioned the partner's ignorance to McNeil's drug use and weapons fascination, the defence lawyer explained that she did not know he took drugs and again stressed that the weapons were novelty items in that the stun guns were designed to look like torches and the CS gas cannister was out of sight in a wardrobe.

The lawyer stated that McNeil had otherwise been of good character his entire life, adding: "He has been foolish."

Sheriff Totten told the accused there was no alternative to custody.

Fortunately for McNeil, the weapons found did not fall within a list that carried a minimum jail term of five years. Instead, he was sentenced to 28 months in prison.