David Morritt was shocked with the package he received
David Morritt and the illegal stun gun. A confused man ordered some onion bulbs and snowdrop seeds online – but received an illegal stun gun instead.David Morritt, 56, opened a delivery from delivery provider Yodel to find the banned weapon – rather than the plants he ordered from a garden centre.Stun guns are prohibited weapons and it is an offence to possess them, according to West Yorkshire Police.Yodel said the safety of its customers was its top priority and an investigation had been launched into the incident.
A keen gardener who ordered some onion bulbs and snowdrop seeds online – was shocked to receive an illegal stun gun instead.
David Morritt, 56, opened a delivery from delivery provider Yodel to find the banned weapon – rather than the plants he ordered from a garden centre. Stun guns are prohibited weapons and it is an offence to possess them, according to West Yorkshire Police.
Yodel said the safety of its customers was its top priority and an investigation had been launched into the incident.
David, who lives near York, North Yorkshire, said: “I’m still in shock – it’s such a bizarre thing. I ordered some onion bulbs and snowdrops online through a garden centre and was given a code through Yodel tracking.
“It said they should have arrived last Tuesday, 10, but then there was a problem with the address. I’ve lived on the outskirts of York for 25 years and it’s a bit rural, so I’m used to the house being a bit tricky for some delivery drivers to find.
The illegal stun gun David Morritt received.
“I went back into the app and corrected it, then the parcel arrived. When I first opened it, I thought it was some sort of key fob, but I googled it and found that it was a stun gun.
“We’ve been bounced around by Yodel over my actual missing parcel for a week now, then they’ve given me an illegal weapon instead of my plants. I saw that there were labels underneath the one for my house, so I think they’ve stuck on the wrong address.”
According to West Yorkshire Police, a stun gun is a weapon that discharges a large voltage of electricity into its target, rendering them incapable of movement for a short time and are considered very dangerous. It is illegal to import or mail them into this country and the penalties will apply.
If you are found in possession of a stun gun, you could face up to ten years imprisonment as well as a fine. In order to possess, purchase or acquire, or manufacture, sell or transfer such weapons you must have authority from the Secretary of State, according to West Yorkshire Police.
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David added that when the parcel first arrived on Saturday, 14, he had attempted to call Yodel’s customer service line, but was unable to speak to a person and any attempts to flag the issue over email did not work. He was only able to speak to a person on Monday, 16, when he claims he was told that an investigation would be opened if he did not return the parcel so it could be redelivered to its original recipient – an instruction later retracted by Yodel.
David said: “You think that there would be more stringent checks – they’ve facilitated this being delivered. Just imagine if a child or someone with nefarious intent had opened it.
“The biggest problem is that not only am I still waiting for my onions, but now I’ve got to get rid of an illegal weapon. When you press it, it sounds pretty angry – the noise it makes made my cats run away.”
A spokesperson for Yodel said that it was aware of the incident and had delivered David’s original parcel, with a full investigation launched into the incident.
David Morritt and the illegal stun gun.
They said: “The safety of our customers is our top priority and dangerous or illegal items are strictly prohibited from being sent through our network. We are investigating the matter and will assist with any enquiries as required.”
North Yorkshire Police added that an investigation had been launched into the incident after the stun gun was handed in by David.
A police spokesperson said: “On the morning of February 18, a concerned member of the public brought the illegal weapon into the police station after it was delivered to his home address in error. Stun guns are prohibited weapons in the UK and it is therefore an offence to possess, purchase, acquire, manufacture, sell or transfer such a weapon, without lawful authority.
“In this case, the person who received the parcel did the absolute right thing in handing it into the police.”
David later confirmed that his onions were finally delivered on Wednesday, February 18.
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