Man jailed for five years over Govanhill gun offence

Tibi Rusu, a 46-year-old Romanian who had only arrived in the country 12 days earlier, had the gun secreted in the glove box of his Audi.

The vehicle had been stopped by police officers in Govanhill, and originally Rusu told officers he had found the gun next to a bus stop, then later admitted having brought it from Romania ‘for protection’.

Judge Lady Rae told him: “Your explanation for having the gun is, in my view, wholly incredible and preposterous.

“You were in possession of a dangerous weapon on the public streets of Glasgow.”

Rusu, who it was said in court had been convicted in his homeland of a serious sexual offence, had been stopped by police officers beacuse of his erratic driving at 2.30pm on October 22, last year.

Rusu told Lady Rae: “I stopped and lit up a cigarette and then I saw part of the gun. I leaned over and picked it up. I thought it was a toy gun and was thinking of taking this to my nephew who was four or five years old. When I picked it up I noticed it was heavy. I wanted to put it back and didn’t know what to do. I put it in my satchel.”

Lady Rae remarked: “It is difficult to accept anything this man says.”

Rusu was jailed for five years and four months.