Sheffield weapon collector with stun gun, pepper spray and flick knife is spared jail

A weapon collector has narrowly avoided jail after he was caught by police with a stun gun, a pepper spray and a flick knife.
By Jon Cooper
Published 7th Oct 2021, 11:39 BST
Updated 8th Oct 2021, 08:00 BST
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Sheffield Crown Court heard on October 6 how Ernestas Tomkevicius, aged 33, formerly of Woodhouse Road, Intake, Sheffield, had been arrested for unrelated matters when officers found he had weapons at his former Woodhouse Road address.

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Matthew Burdon, prosecuting, said the majority of the weapons found on August 10, 2020, did not fall under firearms legislation apart from a prohibited stun gun and Tomkevicius was bailed and he moved to St Leonard’s Court, Longley, Sheffield.

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Sheffield Crown Court, pictured, heard how a weapon collector who was caught by police with a stun gun, a pepper spray and a flick knife has narrowly been spared from jail. Pictured is an example of a stug gun.Sheffield Crown Court, pictured, heard how a weapon collector who was caught by police with a stun gun, a pepper spray and a flick knife has narrowly been spared from jail. Pictured is an example of a stug gun.
Sheffield Crown Court, pictured, heard how a weapon collector who was caught by police with a stun gun, a pepper spray and a flick knife has narrowly been spared from jail. Pictured is an example of a stug gun.

Mr Burdon added that Tomkevicius was arrested again on August 22, 2020, for unrelated matters and a prohibited pepper spray was found and police also found a flick knife in his vehicle.

Recorder Anthony Hawks told Tomkevicius: “You seem to have some morbid interest in weapons. As a result of which you were found to be in possession of a Taser, a pepper spray and a flick knife.

“What you were doing with these I have no idea. If you ever do anything like this again you are going to serve a significant sentence of imprisonment.”

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Tomkevicius, who has previous convictions including possessing an offensive weapon, pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited device that discharges a noxious liquid, possessing an electrical incapacitation device, and to possessing a bladed article in a public place.

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Philip Gibbs, defending, said: “These are not items that have been used and there is no suggestion that he ever deployed these items in any offensive fashion whatsoever but of course he should not have had them.”

Mr Gibbs added that Tomkevicius, who is a collector of weapons, had been moving between addresses and that was why the flick knife had been stored in his car briefly.

He also said Tomkevicius currently has to use crutches because he was in a traffic accident and was crushed by a van so he would struggle with a custodial sentence.

Recorder Hawks sentenced Tomkevicius to six months of custody suspended for 18 months.

He told him: “If you have any interest in weapons, I suggest you cultivate an interest in something else.”