Man who bought gun and made online searches for Dunblane school massacre jailed

A man who made online searches for the Dunblane school massacre and bought a gun and 100 rounds of ammunition has been jailed for five years.

James Maxwell used cryptocurrency to buy a Glock pistol and bullets from the dark web to be delivered from the USA to his home address in Fife.

The High Court in Edinburgh previously heard how American law enforcement officers intercepted the parcel.

When captured in January this year, the 28-year-old told police his mental health had worsened so he researched how to source a firearm after he started to feel suicidal.

However, judge Lord Ericht told Maxwell at his sentencing on Thursday: “The ammunition you ordered was far in excess of the amount necessary to kill yourself. You ordered 100 rounds.

“The ammunition you ordered was of a specific type which was not necessary to kill yourself.

“It was hollow-point live ammunition. Hollow-point ammunition is designed to cause greater injury than standard ammunition.

“It is designed to deform on impact, increasing the surface area of the bullet and therefore causing greater damage to someone who is shot.”

Searching for school term dates

A previous hearing heard that an examination of Maxwell’s laptop uncovered internet searches including “best suicide method” and “suicide by gunshot UK”.

Other searches included “primary school in Glasgow“, “Dunblane school massacre” and “when do schools break up for Christmas 2022”.

The Dunblane massacre took place on 13 March 1996 when gunman Thomas Hamilton, 43, entered the Stirling town’s primary school and shot dead 16 children and a teacher before taking his own life.

Lord Ericht noted that many mass shootings in schools ended with “the killer turning his gun on himself”.

The judge said: “One hundred rounds of that kind of ammunition used against school pupils would have been an unimaginable horror.

“I consider you to be a grave risk to public safety.”

Lord Ericht praised the US law enforcement officers and Police Scotland for their actions.

Advocate depute Richard Goddard KC previously told the court the Glock 17 handgun and magazine were found hidden inside a household electronic device, along with two boxes of ammunition.

The US authorities alerted Police Scotland. The firearm and ammunition were removed, but the device and empty boxes for the gun and bullets were posted.

Maxwell took delivery of the package at his house in Windygates on 11 January this year.

Police then stormed the address and found Maxwell wearing blue latex gloves with the mail item in his bedroom.

An open laptop was found to contain a pdf file that was an instruction manual for a Glock pistol.

During an interview, unemployed Maxwell told police that in October last year his mental health worsened and he began feeling suicidal so researched how to source a firearm.

He admitted that in December he paid £1,000 for the gun and ammunition.

Sexually explicit video

Prosecutor Mr Goddard said: “He stated that prior to the delivery of the package he was no longer suicidal but made no effort to cancel the order as he assumed that as he had paid for it, he had to receive it.”

Police also found that Maxwell had saved a sexually explicit video of an underage girl performing sex acts and images of bestiality.

He also made internet searches including “13-year-old boy” and “cute 14-year-olds”.

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Maxwell admitted six charges when he appeared in court last month.

Defence counsel Jonathan Crowe said Maxwell was a young man who required help.

The court heard he had a “troubled upbringing” and was severely impacted from the age of 13 when his father took his own life.

He said Maxwell stopped going to school, adding: “He did not return to secondary school and as a result missed out on most, if not all, of his secondary education.”

“He has never attended college. He has never been in employment.

“He has sustained this very odd and isolated existence with extremely limited contact with the outside world.”

As well as the five-year jail term, Maxwell will be kept under supervision for four years after release. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for seven years.

Following the court case, Sineidin Corrins, deputy procurator fiscal for specialist casework at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), said: “This weapon could have been used for devastating purposes.

“But thanks to the work of law enforcement agencies and close collaboration with COPFS, this gun was removed from criminal circulation and the accused will now spend a significant period in prison as a result of his criminal actions.”

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