A WOMAN has been given a suspended prison sentence for buying a stun gun as a defence against her former partner.

Sarah Louise Tams, 47, of Clifton, used her new partner’s online shopping account with his knowledge to buy the illegal weapon, Brian Outhwaite, prosecuting, told York Crown Court.

The prosecution accepted her guilty plea to possession of a prohibited weapon on the basis that she had only done so because she was afraid of her former partner who had subjected her to “persistent violence”.

Judge Simon Hickey told her the stun gun, although not a lethal weapon, could give someone a severe pain with an electrical shock.

“You should not have been in possession of such a weapon even if it is specified as 'self defence',” he told her.

He passed a six-month prison sentence suspended for 12 months on condition she does 25 hours’ rehabilitative activities.

John Batchelor, for Tams, did not give any mitigation after the judge said he would not jail her immediately. Mr Outhwaite said she told police where the stun gun was when they raided her home in July 2018.