'Security men to the stars' jailed after police raid at Edinburgh security firm found stun guns and 8000 pills
George Haig, 58, and Stuart Anderson, 39 - dubbed security men to the stars after providing "protection" at a charity bash in Edinburgh attended by George and Amal Clooney and for a Glasgow fundraiser organised by a foundation set up by boxer Amir Khan -- were arrested during a raid at their offices in the Scottish capital last year (2018).
Police swooped at their headquarters in Anderson Place, Leith.
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Hide AdHaig was stopped as he got into his BMW. Anderson later arrived in his Mini.
Both men admitted possessing a stun gun each, contrary to the Firearms Act, and Anderson admitted being concerned in the supply of the diazepam.
At the High Court in Aberdeen, judge Lord Arthurson told the pair that they had both been convicted on their own admission of "serious offending" under the Firearms Act, namely the possession of a firearm disguised as another object.
He jailed Haig, from Craigentinny, Edinburgh, and Anderson, from Wallyford, East Lothian, for five years each, the minimum tariff under the Firearms Act without exceptional circumstances.
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Hide AdKevin McCallum, advocate, defending Haig, said it was accepted that no such "exceptional circumstances" could be properly advanced.
Anderson was also handed a one-year sentence for the drugs offence, but Lord Arthurson said that in the light of the fact that he had no previous convictions for drugs offenses it would run concurrent to the five-year firearms sentence.
The stun guns were said to be "of East Asian origin".
Haig told police he had bought his stun gun from a website and "no intention" of using it.
Gareth Jones, advocate, for Anderson, said his client had served in the Territorial Army and the Royal Military Police Reserve before joining Complete Protection Consultants.
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Hide AdMr Jones said Anderson had the stun gun "for training purposes".
He said: "He worked in a number of security firms where he was tasked with training individuals and organising events and it was against that background of this experience and those qualifications that he was recruited by Mr Haig to his company in 2014.
"The drugs matter is a separate thing.
He said Anderson, his partner, and their and seven-year-old daughter, were "devastated" by what had happened.
Complete Protection Consultants' Facebook page reveals it provided security at the People's Postcode Lottery high-profile charity gala at Edinburgh University's McEwan Hall in March (2019), where Hollywood star Clooney and his lawyer wife appeared.
In 2015, the firm were also involved in the Glasgow fundraiser organised by the foundation set up by Amir Khan.
The raid took place on May 25th, 2018.