A security adviser has been jailed for stockpiling weapon parts at his Scottish home after witnessing the aftermath of ISIS atrocities.
William Cavanagh, who worked across the Middle East for “high value assets” and multinational companies, bought the gun parts over the internet and had them shipped to his home.
The 47-year-old claimed he was building a ballistics testing range to find materials which could be used for home protection in conflict zones such as northern Iraq.
The qualified engineer said he was motivated to find protective building materials to sell through his security firm after seeing the injuries inflicted on people by the Islamic State.
When police raided his home in Airdrie, they found weapon parts in his garage, including pieces for AK47 and AR15 assault rifles.
Cavanagh claimed he only bought the pieces to try out a clamp for holding guns at his planned testing range, and insisted he had no idea it was illegal to own parts of firearms that could not shoot. He also said he was going to apply for a firearms licence in due course.
Yesterday he appeared at the High Court in Aberdeen to plead his ignorance of the law in the hope of avoiding the mandatory minimum five year sentence for firearms offences.
But judge Lord Burns ruled Cavanagh had shown “wilful blindness” towards firearms legislation, and that the case did not meet the required “exceptional circumstances” to merit a lesser sentence.
He told him: “You are a person who clearly has an interest and knowledge of firearms.
“Furthering business enterprises seems to be outwith the scope of exceptional circumstances.”
Cavanagh was caught with the weapon stash at his home after the UK Border Force intercepted a parcel in June 2014 addressed to him from a major American gun firm.
When police were alerted to the delivery, they discovered Cavanagh did not have a firearms licence, so the home he shared with his wife was raided in July last year.
Amongst his stash were parts to an AK47 and AR15 rifles, as well as a single shot pistol, and a 4.5mm revolver.
He previously pleaded guilty to a string of firearm charges when he appeared at the High Court in Glasgow in June, while he still headed security firm Lynx Development Systems.