STV NewsA man who was the victim of an assault from an illegal puppy seller was caught with a stun gun at his home.
Daley Halbert, 39, kept the weapon on the kitchen worktop at his home in Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, on January 31, 2023.
Halbert claimed that he had the stun gun after he suffered at the hands of an illegal puppy seller, Marco Tondo, and his friend, Danny Davidson.
Tondo and his Davidson were jailed for a total of 11 years after they kicked and stamped on Halbert outside The Buck Inn in 2020.
Halbert had initially confronted Tondo over his mistreatment of dogs, which led to the “sustained” attack.
The attack came months after Tondo was spared jailed for running an illegal pet shop in Bishopbriggs.
Halbert pled guilty at the High Court in Glasgow to possession of the stun gun without the authority of the secretary of state of Scottish Ministers.
The court heard that Halbert took six months to recover from the assault, which had left him with a dozen fractures.
Officers raided his home after a warrant was granted.
Prosecutor David Adams said: “During the search, an officer seized a stun gun from the kitchen worktop.”
Tyre manufacturer worker Halbert was then arrested.
Mr Adams told the court that the Crown accepted his plea of guilty due to his reason of “personal protection given the background of the serious assault.”
Sentence was deferred pending background reports until next month by Judge Lord Renucci who granted Halbert bail.
The judge said: “Custody will be in the uppermost of the court’s mind. I will explore all options.”
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