Stun Gun Presents a Problem

The stun gun given to Vernon White by pals in South Africa wound up causing his arrest and costing him a hefty fine.

The 73-year old White had left Zimbabwe when Robert Mugabe’s henchmen ousted him from his home and put him and his family in grave danger. After leaving the country, he has made his Scotland his home since 2002. Leith, a suburb of Edinburgh, has been plagued by its reputation of being one of the city’s roughest areas.

Stewart Blaik, chairman of Leith Central Community Council, expressed concern that the perception of Leith as dangerous is “ridiculous.”

“Any area can have its rough parts,” he said. “It’s a very outdated image of Leith which harks back to its days as a port. Nowadays, it is up and coming and, I would even say, sophisticated.”

White, who was returning from South Africa where he vacationed with friends, has lived in one of the most volatile areas on the Dark Continent. Nevertheless, he and his friends were disturbed by reports of violence in the neighborhood where he made his home. They were most disturbed by the recent report of a double stabbing in Leith and resolved that White should have a way to protect himself, should he need to do so. And then they hatched The Plan.

While being questioned as part of his processing for re-entry into Scotland, White admitted that he was carrying a protection device of some sort in his luggage. Revenue and customs officers found the two-and-a-half inch stun gun while searching his baggage.

Although White initially claimed friends packed the weapon without his knowledge, he eventually admitted to importing an illegal stun gun, according to reports from the Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Sheriff Fiona Reith levied a fine roughly equivalent to $750 (U.S.) against the plaintiff.