Man caught with eight guns after police raid on car jailed

A man who was caught with eight guns after armed police stopped his car in a city centre street has been jailed for five years.

Paul Duncan was held after his Mazda 6 was stopped on August 21 last year.

Officers found a self-loading pistol hidden in a sock in the vehicle as well as “homemade” ammunition during the incident in Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street.

Police went on to search the home the 55-year-old shared with his wife in Erskine, Renfrewshire.

Six more converted pistols, a revolver as well as several further packages of ammunition were found in a lock-up garage.

Duncan was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow on Tuesday.

He had earlier admitted nine firearms charges including possession of the guns and ammunition.

Lord Armstrong said the jail term would have been seven and a half years, but for the guilty plea.

The judge added: “I accept that your role was, in context, a limited one, but you now stand convicted of serious offences.”

He said the weapons found can “present a grave danger to members of the public”.

A previous hearing was told the guns had originally been designed to fire blank cartridges, but had been converted.

Prosecutor Angela Gray said: “The pistols…and one revolver..were tested and it was confirmed they had enough energy to be considered lethal barrelled weapons.”

The court was told Duncan had got involved after falling on “hard times”.

His QC John Scullion said: “He continues to enjoy the support of relatives.

“They are shocked by his current situation. These offences can properly be described as out of character.”

Following the sentencing, Detective Inspector Martin McGhee, of Police Scotland’s Specialist Crime Division, said: “There is absolutely no place for illegal firearms in our communities and we will do everything we can to remove them and bring those responsible for such criminality before the courts.

“Intelligence from members of the public is absolutely vital in our work to protect communities and I would urge anyone who has information about the criminal use of firearms to get in touch.”