An Israeli settler arrested at London’s Heathrow airport with a loaded handgun in his luggage was acquitted on Thursday of possessing a dangerous article.
A jury at Isleworth Crown Court in west London accepted Benjamin Lehman’s claim that he had forgotten the gun was in his backpack.
Lehman (48), who lives in a West Bank settlement and said he routinely carries the gun for protection, flew to Britain from Israel on June 17. The 9mm Steyr M9 pistol, loaded with 10 bullets, was not detected during security checks at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv, or on arrival in Britain.
Lehman was arrested when the gun was found as he prepared to board a flight to the US at Heathrow two days later.
Lehman told the court that tiredness, work stress and family pressures had contributed to his forgetfulness, and said he subsequently had been diagnosed with attention deficit disorder.
He said the failure of Ben Gurion security to find the gun — made largely of plastic — had caused a flap in Israel.
”When I flew here this week, one of the people at the airport recognised me and said: ‘You don’t know what trouble you have caused us’,” he said.
The jury deliberated for just 30 minutes before clearing Lehman of two counts of ”having a dangerous article at an aerodrome” — one relating to the gun and one to the ammunition.
”I have had six months of absolute hell and pressure,” Lehman said after the verdict. ”I am just so relieved it is all over.” — Sapa-AP