AN Aberystwyth man was arrested near a primary school in the town after the alarm was raised when a member of the public saw him holding what they thought was a handgun.

Joseph Christopher Round, 40, told police that he didn’t realise that having the air gun was illegal, even though it had been painted black to look more authentic by a previous owner.

Prosecutor Helen Tench said Round, who pleaded guilty to possession of an imitation firearm on 19 June, was arrested near a primary school on Plascrug Avenue. Police found the air gun in a backpack.

Ms Tench said police were contacted by a member of the public at around 3pm who had seen Round, of 3 Bridge Street, walking down Cefnllan hill holding the air gun.

They told police that it looked like a Glock handgun as it was painted black.

When officers arrested Round and found the air gun in his backpack, Ms Tench said it was loaded with pellets and that, although it was painted black, bits of the paint had flaked off to show that it was orange.

Ms Tench said when officers found it they realised that it was not a real handgun and found a tub containing pellets for the air gun.

Round told officers that he had been at Aberystwyth University as part of an arts course he had enrolled on, but had then visited woodland to shoot the air gun at trees and leaves.

He said he hadn’t realised that it was illegal to have the air gun in a public place.

Round said he had bought it off a homeless man and had been intending to give it to his daughter but she didn’t want it, so he decided to keep it.

Defence solicitor Katy Hanson said Round had not realised the seriousness of carrying the air gun in public, but now accepted that it could have alarmed members of the public as it was painted black, even though much of the paint had flaked off.

She said: ”At no point did Mr Round think this was a serious replica gun.”

While Round had not intended to cause any alarm to anyone, Ms Hanson said he now realised that it could have concerned people.