Man who thought prohibited stun gun was legal jailed

A man who hoped to “make people laugh” by shocking himself with a stun gun on social media has been jailed after finding it was a prohibited firearm.

Kyle McGrath, 28, was arrested after police found the illegal device in his bedside table in the Callander home he lived in with his mother.

The 500,000-volt ScorpyMax stun gun was capable of disabling a person in five seconds and could propel PAVA and pepper sprays six feet or more across a room.

McGrath was jailed for 16 months after admitting possessing the weapon in May 2024.

McGrath told social workers that he had intended to use it to make social media content.

Solicitor Fraser McCready, defending, told Stirling Sheriff Court: “He purchased it on some website which doesn’t at any stage say it’s illegal.

“He intended to use it on himself to make You Tube and TikTok videos.

“He thought it was legal and his reason for having it was to stun himself, make videos, try and make people laugh, and try and make some cash out if it.”

Sheriff Keith O’Mahony said: “I’m obviously out of touch with the younger generation.”

Prosecutor Alistair McDermid said the item was “a stun gun combined with an irritant spray dispenser”.

He said it emitted a “visible display of sparks” when tested.

The court was told that McGrath had a previous conviction from 2017 for possessing a golf club as an offensive weapon.