Man had 38 weapons at Cardiff Airport as 'souvenirs' Published duration 6 February 2018

image copyright South Wales Police

A holidaymaker has been jailed for four years for trying to bring home 38 weapons which he said were "souvenirs".

Father-of-two Ryan Sullivan, 24, of Cardiff, had been on a break with his girlfriend and children when he returned from Bulgaria in July 2017.

Border Force staff at Cardiff Airport found items including knuckle dusters, stun guns and martial arts weapons, the city's crown court heard.

Sullivan admitting possessing prohibited weapons.

The court heard he tried to smuggle the weapons disguised as mobile phones and torches.

Prosecutor Jeffrey Jones said Sullivan told security they were souvenirs, but added: "There were two stun guns disguised as mobile phones, which were capable of discharging between 5,000 and 8,000 volts.

image copyright Crown Prosecution Service

"There were five more disguised as torches.

"There were 13 CS gas canisters and pepper sprays capable of causing nausea, vomiting, and muscular dysfunction."

His suitcase also contained nine knuckle dusters, six metal batons, a set of nunchucks (a martial arts weapon), and a butterfly knife.

Jonathan Lewis, defending, said: "He was ignorant of just how serious a position he was putting himself in."

image copyright Crown Prosecution Service

image copyright Crown Prosecution Service