A United Airlines pilot who was arrested by Scottish police after a high-voltage stun gun was found in his hand luggage by security officers at Edinburgh Airport has escaped a lengthy jail sentence after pleading guilty to possessing the weapon.
Ryan Cecil, 56, was due to operate United Airlines flight UA37 from Edinburgh to Newark on January 20, but the flight had to be canceled at the last minute after the long-serving Captain and former army veteran was taken into custody on suspicion of committing a firearms offense.
Although possession of stun guns is legal in most US states, they are technically classed as firearms in the United Kingdom and are strictly prohibited. Possession of a high-voltage stun could land someone with a lengthy jail sentence and a hefty fine.
Cecil initially told a security officer that the stun gun was, in fact, a flashlight after a routine x-ray of his hand luggage revealed a suspicious item. Hidden inside a sock, security officers examined the item and realized that it was actually a stun gun.
The police were then called, and Cecil was taken into custody.
Once at a local police station, Cecil admitted that he had violated Scottish law but told officers that it was “accidental” as he didn’t realize the stun gun was still in his luggage when he traveled to Edinburgh two days before he was stopped.
In mitigation, Cecil’s lawyer told the court: “He was completely unaware it was in his bag. That bag went through security checks and went undetected, and he spent two nights in Edinburgh before planning on flying back.”
“He fully accepts this was gross carelessness by him, and the item in question is not a regulated item in the United States.”
Despite slamming Cecil for committing a “very serious offense,” Sheriff Charles Walls decided not to impose a custodial sentence and instead fined the 23-year Captain £8,500 ($11,000) as an alternative to a prison sentence.
One of the reasons that Cecil may not have realized that the stun gun was in his hand luggage is the fact that US aircrews often get to skip routine TSA screening as part of the Known Crewmember initiative.
There is, however, no exemption from standard airport security screening for pilots or flight attendants in the UK, and aviation unions have previously warned their members about the risk of being caught with firearms and ammunition in a foreign destination.
