A FORMER antiques dealer who left a double barrelled 12-bore shotgun in his attic when he split with his partner was told that he only avoided prison due to the ‘somewhat exceptional circumstances’ of his case.
48-year-old Simon Causer, of Lammas Street, Carmarthen, pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing a shotgun without a certificate when he appeared at Llanelli Law Courts on Thursday (Jun 7).
The court heard that the gun had been purchased when causer was working as an antiques dealer, and he had been under the misapprehension that the weapon had been deactivated.
Prosecuting, Catherine Miles told the court that the offence dated back to November 2016, when Causer’s ex-wife had been clearing out the house they had previously shared prior to selling it.
In the attic, she found two guns wrapped in black bags, which she believed belonged to Causer. Police were called, and the weapons identified as a double-barrelled shotgun of Spanish origin and an air rifle. The shotgun was in working order, but had light corrosion to the barrel.
Causer was interviewed in January of this year, and confirmed he used to work as an antiques dealer carrying out house clearances. He added that he couldn’t remember where the guns came from, but thought that he had purchased them several years ago.
Causer explained that he had been told the weapons were deactivated, and he intended to mount them on wooden plaques and sell them as ornaments, and told officers that he had moved the guns, along with other items of stock, to the attic when he was forced to close his business due to ill-health.
The court heard that while Causer had previous convictions, he had not been before the courts since 2002.
Speaking in mitigation, David Elvy said that Causer had paid £20 for both guns ‘very many years ago’, believing that they were not working.
“He never thought to check whether they had been deactivated,” he remarked, explaining that after Causer moved his surplus stock to the attic his relationship broke down and he ‘packed his bags and left’.
Mr Elvy noted that while police recovered the guns in 2016, Causer was not spoken to until this year, when he went to the police station to report a theft.
Pointing out that no ammunition was found Mr Elvy added that Causer accepted ‘he should never have purchased the guns in the first place’.
“This is one of the rare occasions when a custodial sentence is not appropriate,” he remarked.
District Judge Chris James told Causer that certification was required to keep weapons like this out of the hands of people who should not have access to them.
“This was a side-to-side two-barrel shotgun, which has no lawful use in these circumstances,” he added, noting that it had been in Causer’s possession for an extended period of time.
While he accepted that Causer had not intended to use the gun, Judge James pointed out that it was capable of being used.
Causer was given a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months, and ordered to carry out 120 hours of unpaid work and pay a total of £200 in costs and surcharge.
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