Scottish man pleads guilty to buying gun and 100 bullets with crypto to ‘kill himself’
A Scottish man who used crypto to buy 100 rounds of ammo and a gun from the US to allegedly kill himself has pleaded guilty to an array of gun charges, alongside owning pornographic material of animals and children.
As reported by the Scottish Daily Express, 28-year-old James Maxwell purchased a Glock pistol with £1,000 worth of cryptocurrency from an online vendor in the US and ordered it to his address in Fife. However, his package was apprehended by US authorities, and both the gun and ammo were discovered hidden inside a household electronic device.
The illegal content was removed before US authorities tipped off Scottish police and sent the package onwards to Maxwell’s address. Then, when his package was delivered on January 11, Scottish police raided his property and found him wearing blue latex gloves while handling the contents of the package.
When his laptop was seized Maxwell was discovered to be in possession of a sexually explicit video of an underage girl and several bestiality images. He had searched online for ‘13-year-old boy’ and ‘cute 14-year-olds’.
Searches of ‘best suicide method’ and ‘suicide by gunshot UK’ were also discovered alongside searches of ‘primary school in Glasgow,’ ‘Dunblane school massacre‘ and ‘when do schools break up for Christmas 2022.’
Crypto purchase of gun supposedly with zero “sinister motives”
In October, Maxwell claimed to the police that he bought the firearm and ammo as he was feeling suicidal. He said this was no longer the case before the package’s delivery, but made no attempt to cancel the order.
Judge Lord Ericht noted that “100 bullets were bought which would seem to be an excessive number for suicide purposes.”
Prosecutor (advocate depute) Richard Goddard KC also pointed out that the ammo ordered by Maxwell “is designed to deform on impact, increasing the surface area of the bullet and causing increased injury.”
Maxwell’s defense counsel told the judges, “there is no dispute, there is no other information or evidence pointing to any sinister motives of Mr Maxwell to do anything with this weapon in relation to primary schools.”
The four other charges Maxwell received relate to the purchasing and acquiring of both the gun and ammunition while not in possession of a firearms certificate and for importing without lawful authority.
Maxwell is yet to be sentenced but has remained in custody while judges say he will receive a substantial prison term.
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