A respected golf pro has been convicted of weapons offenses after a ‘comedy of errors’ in which he bought a 50,000-volt Taser gun to eradicate a rat infestation at his golf training school.
Richard Gilling, 53, acquired the illegal stun gun online for £20 on the recommendation of a commercial solicitor.
However, the businessman never ended up using the Taser to electrocute the rats, instead forgetting about it and leaving it in a wardrobe at a house he had access to in Lymm, Cheshire.
It ‘gathered dust’ for over two years until it was eventually uncovered by the current residents of the property who alerted the police.
Gilling was later arrested at his home in nearby Altrincham after his fingerprints were found on the manual for the Taser.
Richard Gilling (pictured) was convicted of weapons offenses at Warrington Magistrates Court after buying a 50,000 volt taser to kill a rat infestation
At Warrington Magistrates Court, Gilling pleaded guilty to possessing a weapon designed or adapted to discharge electrified barbs.
Gilling, who owns The Golf School in Altrincham, where he also lives, used to be the resident pro and head of coaching at the prestigious Mere Golf and Country Club, according to social media, and is an expert in ‘Neuro Linguistic Programming’.
The golf coach is separated from his wife, an experience his lawyer says he is still suffering from.
Prosecutor Adam Till told the court: ‘At around 6pm on Friday 6 May, Constables Unsworth and Quince-Black followed concerns about illegal items, including a Taser and other items said to belong to the defendant.
‘Officers attended an address and were given access by the residents.
‘The officers carried out a search of the property. In one of the bedrooms, PC Quince-Black searched a wardrobe. Inside was a black box containing a Taser and three cartridges.
‘At 22.10 the defendant was located at his home address. The items were found in a property to which he had access.’
Gilling (pictured) is a respected golf professional who owns The Golf School in Altrincham, Greater Manchester and was presented with ‘glowing references’ to demonstrate his character.
Sir. Till explained that Gilling was arrested and made no comment in his police interview.
Examination of the item was then taken to determine it was an illegal firearm under the Firearms Act 1968, he said, while separate ‘forensic services’ also provided a report.
Till said: ‘On August 22 a further investigation was carried out and the defendant was related to the subject in question.
“The defendant is of previous good character. We are asking for the forfeiture and destruction of the Taser and the cartridges that were seized.
“There were no dangerous circumstances. There is no evidence that it was manufactured or used in any way.’
In mitigation, defense lawyer Riyaz Shaikh emphasized that Gilling pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.
He said Gilling had acquired the stun gun to deal with a rat problem on the recommendation of a friend.
Gilling pleaded guilty at Warrington Magistrate’s Court (pictured) and was given a conditional discharge
Shaikh told the court: ‘What appears to have happened is that Mr Gilling received some advice from a colleague.
‘He had a problem with an infestation of rodents where he was staying.
‘He was advised to buy a Taser and effectively taser them.
‘You’d be surprised to hear who it was that advised him. It was a commercial lawyer who offered that advice.
‘He ordered it, but it simply sat in the house and has never been used.
‘It cost him in the region of £19 to £20. At first it never came and he forgot about it.
‘He was offered a refund and then unfortunately the item arrived.
‘When he got it, he looked at the manual. This is where the forensics link came in. His fingerprints were on the manual but not on the taser.
“The police arrested him and the item had to be sent away and tested to see if it was a firearm.
‘The Taser wasn’t charging, it wasn’t connected. It sat in the wardrobe gathering dust for almost two and a half years.
After leaving the illegal Taser in a closet and forgetting about it, it was eventually found by the new occupants of his residence, who alerted the police
‘Unfortunately, he now finds himself in this position. He is 53 years old. He’s stayed out of trouble, he’s never been in trouble before’.
The lawyer gave the judges references which he said spoke of Gilling’s ‘exemplary character’ in both a professional and personal capacity, and told the court his client had been through a separation which he was still suffering from.
He added that Gilling has some commitments in the US related to his golf business which, depending on his sentence, may suffer as a result of his conviction.
Shaikh said: ‘If he is fined for this offence, it may restrict him from traveling abroad to continue with the business he was running.
‘Therefore, I ask you to consider offering him a conditional discharge, which has more flexibility.
“Considering the remedy I have offered on Mr. Gilling’s behalf.”
Magistrates gave Gilling a conditional discharge for 12 months and ordered him to pay £107 in costs and victim surcharge.
Chairman Fraser Geke said: ‘You couldn’t really have written that, could you?
‘It was a comedy of errors, shall we say, and we take that into account as well as the fact that it was never used and that it was never meant to be used.
“We also take into account your previous good character and your very bright references.”
The judges also ordered that the Taser be forfeited and destroyed.