TWO men were snared by undercover police following a handover of five potentially deadly guns and ammunition at a golf club.
The High Court in Glasgow today heard that Mark Kirkby, 37, who was in the passenger seat of a black Audi, was seen to enter the car park of Ardeer Golf Club at 2pm on September 1, 2020.
Kirkby, who was wearing gloves, walked over to his co-accused Ku Wing Kwok's silver Mondeo and opened the boot and placed items inside.
Both cars drove off and police later stopped 42-year-old Kwok on the A78 Irvine Road at 5.21pm
A search of the car revealed five handguns and ammunition.
Prosecutor Owen Mullan said: “The five handguns were Turkish manufactured Retay self-loading blank firing replica pistols which had been modified.
“Each pistol was capable of discharging a 9mm blank cartridge.
“All the blank cartridges found – 100 in total which each had a 7mm steel ball bearing in the mouth – were suitable for use with the handguns. The ammunition recovered is capable of causing injury and death.”
Kwok told police he had been offered £1,000 to pick up items from the golf club and take them to Greenock area where they would be picked up by someone else.
Mr Mullan added: “He stated that although he knew the items that he would be uplifting were likely to be criminal, possibly controlled substances, he did not anticipate them being firearms and/or ammunition.”
Kirkby was detained at his house in Kerlaw Avenue, Stevenston, at 11.40pm. Police seized six mobile phones and £2,970 in cash.
Kirkby admitted having five guns and ammunition in his possession at Ardeer Golf Club, Stevenston, on September 1, 2020 without a firearms certificate. Kwok pled guilty to having the five weapons and a quantity of 9mm blank cartridges at Irvine Road at Dalry Road, Largs, on September 1, last year.
Neither man is the holder of a firearms certificate.
Prosecutors say the offences were aggravated by a connection to serious organised crime.
Judge Lord Fairley deferred sentence on both accused, who are in custody, until April 29 at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Mr Mullan said: “The Crown does not have any information to support the view that either accused was to use the weapons, or that the weapons were to be used for a planned criminal purpose.”
Defence counsel Lorraine Glancy, representing Kirkby, and Paul Nelson, representing Kwok, will give their pleas in mitigation then.
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