A Judge has shown mercy on a businessman who sold a stun gun to a friend in a pub without realising he was doing anything wrong.

Gary Haley did not know the weapon was illegal or that the man who he sold it to was a large scale drug dealer was under surveillance by the police.

The officers did not see him handing over the 55,000 volt taser in the Poachers Inn at Ide and only learned about the transaction because Mr Haley told them about it later.

Mr Haley, who runs a removals business in Exeter, met security company boss Altin Laska without realising he was a cannabis dealer who was being watched by the police.

Detectives called in Mr Haley for interview to ask why he was meeting Laska. He told them about selling the stun gun because he did not appreciate he was admitting a serious offence.

Mr Haley spent six months with the threat of prison hanging over his head but was freed from Exeter Crown Court after a Judge ruled it was an exceptional case.

The taser was found when police raided dealer Altin Laska’s home in Broadpark Road in Exmouth and recovered it from a rucksack belonging to fellow Albanian Shuaip Llapri who was staying with him.

Mr Haley, aged 54, of Longdown, admitted selling or transferring a prohibited weapon and was conditionally discharged for six months and ordered to pay £360 costs.

Llapri, aged 27, was jailed for six months and deported after admitting possession of the weapon. Laska, also aged 27, was jailed for five years for conspiracy to supply cannabis.

Judge Graham Cottle told him: "This really is a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong people, not that you knew that.

"You were initially suspected of being involved in a drugs conspiracy. This had no foundation in truth at all but led to you being asked to go to the police station to tell the police what you knew about Laska.

"You volunteered the information you had sold him a stun gun. I am quite satisfied you did not know it was an offence to sell this weapon. You had bought it quite innocently from a builder who was working for you."

Adrian Chaplin, prosecuting, said Haley was called in by police after being seen with Laska at the Poachers and at the end of the interview he was asked if he knew anything else of interest.

He replied he had sold him a taser for £75, thus making an profit on the £50 he had bought it for. He said he thought it was a novelty and he and Laska had been messing around with it in the pub.

Stephen Nunn, mitigating, said his client runs a removals business with eight employees. He said: "This item is freely available in much of the European Union and he had no idea it was an offence to possess it or sell it."