BY JAMES SIMONS
A former police officer has been jailed for 5 and a half years, after being found in possession of a pistol and hundreds of pounds worth of drugs.
50 year old Stuart Magee from Haslingden, served with the police force for 22 years and was awarded with several medals for his ‘courageous service’,to the force, but was arrested after being pulled over by police on the A56 when he was headed for Manchester- also known in many circles as the ‘Newyork of the UK’.
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Police discovered a 9mm pistol, 14 rounds of ammunition, £400 worth of ketamine, £200 of cocaine and £80 of ecstasy. Boy, what a big timer!
“When they arrived at the party one of the men who he had driven said he had left a present for his girlfriend in the boot and asked the defendant to get it. When he returned to his car, he examined the package left in his boot and discovered it was a gun.”
Magee refused to hand the weapon over and instead drove back to his home in Haslingden, the court was told.
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Magee inspected the weapon over subsequent days to try to decipher whether it was real when he was unable to returned it to his boot, it was claimed.
The court heard Magee had become depressed towards the end of his service and turned to using drugs. That’s easy to say though, as he could well have been using drugs whilst serving as a police officer. More scary is the possibility that he may even have owned a gun then, because unless he ever used it only those close to him would be aware.
His lawyer told the court that he had served 22 years with the police and was ”awarded the long service medal and the Queen Jubilee medal. He was a courageous officer, putting himself in situations were he was endangering his own life for the public”.
“He suffered with depression and sought help in the form of illegal drugs, through drugs he was introduced to undesirables who were able to threaten him. His drug habit has destroyed his marriage and landed him in this very serious situation. He accepts his guilt and he regrets his involvement in this.”
Depression is something that can befall even the best of us, depending on what leads to it. However, when you decide to own a gun, depression does not justify it. Possession of a gun signals an intention to cause serious harm to someone, although this does not mean there may not be circumstances when an honest member of the public may not feel the need to protect himself. Nevertheless, an ex copper surely ha slinks in the met, so what is he doing with a gun for crying out loud?
Sentencing Judge Harry Narayan said: “I accept your exemplary record, your good character and your sterling service in your public duty. “What you were doing driving around with a gun and ammunition in your boot is inexplicable.
“The gun was found with ammunition which is a serious aggregating feature, it was ready to be used by anyone.
Maggeee told police he had met some people, whose names he does not remember, and had driven them to a party in Manchester, the address of which he does not know. His lawyer told the court:
“When they arrived at the party one of the men who he had driven said he had left a present for his girlfriend in the boot and asked the defendant to get it. When he returned to his car, he examined the package left in his boot and discovered it was a gun.” The court heard that Magee refused to hand the weapon over and instead drove back to his home in Haslingden. What an unfortunate tale, eh! We expect more from all police officers , in the course of their duty, and indeed when the leave the job. This former officer has let the met down.
“His account is that he had met some people, whose names he does not remember, and had driven them to a party in Manchester, the address of which he does not know.
“When they arrived at the party one of the men who he had driven said he had left a present for his girlfriend in the boot and asked the defendant to get it. When he returned to his car, he examined the package left in his boot and discovered it was a gun.”
Magee refused to hand the weapon over and instead drove back to his home in Haslingden, the court was told.
Magee inspected the weapon over subsequent days to try to decipher whether it was real when he was unable to returned it to his boot, it was claimed.
Former police officer Stuart Magee, pictured in 2013 holding a weapon that was seized by Middleton Police
The court heard Magee had become depressed towards the end of his service and turned to using drugs. That’s easy to say though, as he could well have been using drugs whilst serving as a police officer. More scary is the possibility that he may even have owned a gun then, because unless he ever used it only those close to him would be aware.
His lawyer told the court that he had served 22 years with the police and was ”awarded the long service medal and the Queen Jubilee medal. He was a courageous officer, putting himself in situations were he was endangering his own life for the public”.
“He suffered with depression and sought help in the form of illegal drugs, through drugs he was introduced to undesirables who were able to threaten him. His drug habit has destroyed his marriage and landed him in this very serious situation. He accepts his guilt and he regrets his involvement in this.”
Depression is something that can befall even the best of us, depending on what leads to it. However, when you decide to own a gun, depression does not justify it. Possession of a gun signals an intention to cause serious harm to someone, although this does not mean there may not be circumstances when an honest member of the public may not feel the need to protect himself. Nevertheless, an ex copper surely ha slinks in the met, so what is he doing with a gun for crying out loud?
Sentencing Judge Harry Narayan said: “I accept your exemplary record, your good character and your sterling service in your public duty. “What you were doing driving around with a gun and ammunition in your boot is inexplicable.
“The gun was found with ammunition which is a serious aggregating feature, it was ready to be used by anyone.
Maggeee said that he had met some people, whose names he does not remember, and had driven them to a party in Manchester, the address of which he does not know.
“When they arrived at the party one of the men who he had driven said he had left a present for his girlfriend in the boot and asked the defendant to get it. When he returned to his car, he examined the package left in his boot and discovered it was a gun.”
Magee refused to hand the weapon over and instead drove back to his home in Haslingden, the court was told.
Magee inspected the weapon over subsequent days to try to decipher whether it was real when he was unable to returned it to his boot, it was claimed.
Former police officer Stuart Magee, pictured in 2013 holding a weapon that was seized by Middleton Police”
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