Five months’ jail for man armed with stun gun

Gardaí who were carrying out a drugs search at a city centre address, recovered a stun gun on a Polish man who just happened to walk in on the raid, Galway District Court heard.

Judge Mary Fahy did not accept that the defendant had not known that the weapon – which doubled as a torch – was illegal in this country, having spent five years here.

However, in imposing a five-month prison sentence on him, she was taking into account that he had not attempted to use it on the occasion.

“He came armed with a stun gun – if you really want to buy a torch, you buy a torch,” she observed.

Marcin Lewandowski (28), formerly of 43 The Granary, Abbeyknockmoy, Tuam, pleaded guilty to having possession of the illegal firearm on October 9, 2013.

Garda James Bermingham told the court that the divisional drugs unit had a warrant to search an address in Heather Grove, Ballybane, which they entered at 8.20pm that night.

Approximately five minutes later, the defendant walked through the front door, and was informed that he was to be searched. He emptied his pockets, producing what initially seemed to be a torch, but it had two prongs sticking out of it.

“He said he’d bought it for €10 on the internet, and that he needed it as a torch – not as a stun gun,” the Garda added.

He said that there was a flick switch to change the item’s use from a torch to a weapon.

Judge Fahy asked how could such a device harm someone, and she was advised that it would run an electric current through the recipient.

Garda Bermingham handed in a document about the device from the Garda ballistics section, which stated that it was considered a firearm under the relevant Act.

The defendant’s solicitor, Adrian MacLynn, asked the Judge to take into account that his client had not obstructed Gardaí in their search, and that Lewandowski genuinely had not realised he was carrying an illegal weapon.

The court heard that Lewandowski, who is currently serving a 13-month sentence, had 31 previous convictions – although mainly for road traffic offences.

The Judge took into account that the defendant, who was assisted by a Polish interpreter, was co-operative when she imposed a five month sentence to be served on the lawful termination of the term currently being served.