TheBigDollop had a post earlier this week about 27 year old ex-soldier Paul Clarke, who had the annoying present of a sawn-off shotgun thrown over the fence into his garden. He phoned his nearest Chief Superintendent and asking if he could pop in for a chat but without mentioning why. To the amazement of all concerned he put the gun on the table and was promptly arrested.

He was found guilty on Tuesday and now faces jail because possession of a gun is a strict liability offence and there is no defence to the charge. There was, however, one unregarded ironic trifle in the affair:

“I didn’t know what to do, so the next morning I rang the Chief Superintendent, Adrian Harper, and asked if I could pop in and see him. At the police station, I took the gun out of the bag and placed it on the table so it was pointing towards the wall.” Mr Clarke was then arrested immediately for possession of a firearm at Reigate police station, and taken to the cells.

Is he the same Chief Superintendent Harper due to appear at Winchester Crown Court next month on misconduct charges? According to local news reports, he was suspended for alleged dishonest conduct regarding speeding penalties.

Perhaps not the best person to have called, then?