A FORMER Royal Navy serviceman has been spared prison after almost two dozen bullets were found inside a safe at a Penrith flat.
Police went to an address at Sandgate in April, 2018, after it was reported that Perry Lloyd Mason had assaulted his pregnant partner.
Mason, 33, had subjected the woman to a violent and sustained ordeal, leaving her covered in her own blood and with more than 50 injuries. He was later jailed for 30 months.
But during a police search of the flat, 23 9mm bullets were found inside a safe along with a mobile phone – all belonging to Mason, who had stated in messages to two different people during a four-month period: “I’ve got bullets.”
No gun was ever found, and there was no indication the bullets were ever possessed with any criminal intent, Carlisle Crown Court heard.
Mason, of Raiselands Croft, Penrith, initially denied possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate, but admitted the offence today (MON).
A former Royal Navy warfare specialist and trophy-winning marksman, he had been depressed and taking drugs at the time of the 2018 offending.
“It was an enthusiast with nostalgia for the past,” Peter Eguae, defending, said of Mason and his ammunition crime. “It was very foolish but not criminally motivated.”
After hearing Mason was now working as a store assistant, had made positive progress to rehabilitate himself and was still the subject of post-custody licence requirements, Judge Julie Clemitson suspended a five-month jail term for two years.
Judge Clemitson also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the seized bullets.
