Loanhead property developer jailed over handgun cache
- Published
Douglas Urquhart was jailed for 46 months
A property developer found with four illegal handguns has been jailed for 46 months.
Police discovered the cache in a "panic room" at Douglas Urquhart's home in Loanhead, Midlothian.
The door to the secure room was hidden behind a wardrobe in a basement garage, and it could only be accessed using an electronic keypad.
The 45-year-old admitted the offences, including having no firearms certificate for four air rifles.
At the High Court in Glasgow judge Lady Stacey said: "We have very strict gun laws and there is a reason for this.
"Even weapons of this sort can be used by people to threaten others and these weapons can be modified.
"I accept you kept them safely and you had no ammunition, but Parliament takes this sort of offence very seriously and these offences can attract a sentence up to 10 years in prison."
The NCA said Urquhart imported the handguns from Spain
Urquhart had earlier admitted having four air rifles without a firearms certificate and four front venting starting pistols without the permission of the Secretary of State or the Scottish ministers or a firearms certificate.
The court heard that the front vented pistols were discovered when police searched Urquhart's home in High Street, Loanhead, on May 17.
They discovered a locked door leading to a basement garage.
Urquhart opened the door using an electronic keypad and then provided access to a further "panic" style room located behind a wardrobe.
The starting pistols were found there along with flare launching adaptors and cleaning brushes.
'Shameful and embarrassing'
Defence counsel Tony Lenehan, said: "Mr Urquhart applied for a shotgun licence and an air weapons licence. The shotgun licence was not granted because he did not have a sporting need and he did not realise he had not been granted the air guns licence.
"Mr Urquhart, who is a joiner and property developer, has a fascination with 18th century firearms. He has for instance miniature Derringer pistol that a lady would have carried in her purse.
"With regard to the front venting pistols he ordered them openly using his own name, his own bank card and had them delivered to his own door.
"He wanted them for their aesthetics. This whole incident has been traumatic, shameful and embarrassing for him."
The conviction followed an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Police Scotland organised crime partnership.
After the hearing, the NCA said Urquhart's panic room contained tinned food, bottled water, a safe and a CCTV system which allowed sight of outside - as well as the weapons.
NCA operations manager John McGowan said: "Urquhart had ordered these weapons online and imported them from Spain and, while they could only fire blanks in the state they were in, they are illegal in the UK because they can easily be converted to fire real ammunition."