A pensioner is facing a five-year jail sentence after leaving guns “gathering dust” in his basement.
Police found a corroded sawn-off shotgun, another shotgun in poor condition and an antique pistol during a search at Richard Watt’s home.
The 76-year-old admitted possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing a gun while not holding a shotgun certificate when he appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday.
Judge Lord Burns told the former gun enthusiast: “Parliament has dictated that unless exceptional circumstances exist, a minimum sentence of five years should be imposed.”
Advocate depute Susanne Tanner, prosecuting, told the court that Watt had no previous convictions and was the main carer for his disabled wife Patricia.
The prosecutor said that in September last year police received information that Watt had told another person that he had a sawn-off shotgun.
The couple’s home Aberdeen’s Corthan Crescent has a basement accessed through a hatch in the entrance hall and when officers searched the premises they saw a small room in the basement which contained weapons.
The advocate depute said: “A double-barreled, side-by-side shotgun and ammunition and various other items relating to the manufacture of ammunition were observed on open display on a workbench.”
Watt was interviewed and said he called the basement his “gun room”.
The weapons were sent for examination and the sawn-off shotgun was found to be capable of firing cartridges, although it was in poor condition.
The muzzle-loading pistol was considered to be obsolete and an “antique firearm” which could be freely possessed if kept as an ornament or curiosity.
Watt’s counsel, advocate Jonathan Crowe, said the retired plumbing and heating engineer had been a long-time gun enthusiast and had owned a large number of weapons throughout the years.
The lawyer added: “He has held firearms certificates, having undergone the stringent checks police are bound to carry out.”
Mr Crowe said that latterly he had not been involved in “the gun scene” and had relinquished his firearms certificate and sold a collection of pistols.
He said Watt thought he would put shotguns given to him by a work colleague in his cellar and “forget about them”.
He said they lay there gathering dust and added: “There is no suggestion the guns were recently used or fired.”
Lord Burns deferred sentence on Watt for background reports, but told him not to read anything into the fact he had been granted bail.
