Our firearms law specialist, Laura Saunsbury, represented a collector of antique firearms charged with unlawfully possessing a shotgun. At some point the barrel had been cut down and as a result the shotgun was classified as a prohibited firearm. Our client was therefore facing the prospect of a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.

The Police had obtained a report from a firearms expert who assessed the old percussion shotgun as being manufactured between 1855 and 1875, and so was in the region of at least 140 years old. Our client had not been found in possession of any ammunition and there was no evidence of any criminal intent on his part. In spite of the expert concluding that the shotgun was an antique, and therefore exempt from all of the usual restrictions of the Firearms Acts, our client was charged and was due to stand trial later this year.

However, following the skilful representations made by Laura Saunsbury, the Crown Prosecution Service accepted there was not a realistic prospect of a conviction. On 17 May 2012 they notified us of their decision to discontinue the proceedings at St Albans Crown Court.

Our client, who has had a longstanding interest in military history and collecting antique firearms, had purchased the shotgun in question at the Bisley Arms & Antiques Fair. He was delighted and relieved by this outcome and the fact that Laura Saunsbury had managed to resolve the case for him at such an early stage.