Co Down man sentenced for possessing antique shotgun

Christopher John Digney, from Struell Heights in Downpatrick, bought the shotgun for £600 in a bid to take his own life – but the weapon was in such poor condition that it didn’t work, Downpatrick Crown Court heard.

Digney had admitted possessing a gun without a certificate and possessing ammuniton in suspicious circumstances.

Judge Brian Sherrard told Digney that he was dividing his sentence between 11 months in custody and 25 months on licence.

But because Digney had spent 337 days on remand, the 34-year-old yesterday walked free from court because of his time served in custody.

Judge Sherrard said that he accepted that Digney was suffering from a “number of stressers” in his life at the time that the police seized the weapon in October 2014.