A jealous husband rigged up a home-made device similar to a police Taser on his front door to deter a neighbor he suspected was having an affair with his wife.
\nAlan Fletcher, 51, booby-trapped his own house after developing doubts over the fidelity of his wife, Pam. A court heard Fletcher was \u201cobsessed\u201d that one of his neighbours was calling around to make love to his wife while he was at work.
\nHe bought electrodes, circuit boards and wiring to make the home made device capable of zapping anyone who crossed his front door with up to 18,000 volts.
\nProsecutor Nuhu Gobir said: \u201cIt was hooked up to the mains power supply at Fletcher\u2019s home. \u201cAnyone who touched it would get a painful eclectic shock of between 11,000 and 18,000 volts. \u201cWhen turned on, it produced a visible electrical discharge that could also be heard.\u201d
\nMerthyr Tydfil Crown Court heard Fletcher described the device as \u201csimilar to a police Taser gun\u201d.
\nMr. Gobir said: \u201cIt had been positioned just below shoulder height by the front door to dissuade people form going into his home to have sex with his wife. \u201cHe said the device was there to prevent someone having sex with his wife.\u201d
\nFletcher, of Knighton, Powys, admitted being in possession of a prohibited weapon. Hywel Hughes, defending, said: \u201cThe weapon was defensive rather than offensive and would deliver a shock with a tingling sensation.\u201d
\nDr. Warren Lloyd, who examined Fletcher after his arrest, said he had a complex disorder and dysfunctional personality. Judge John Curran made a hospital order after ruling that Fletcher needed psychiatric help rather than punishment.
\nHe said\u201d \u201cHe was experiencing obsessional views about the man he believed was making advances towards his wife. \u201cIt would be wrong, in principle, to send him to prison when there is treatment available.\u201d
\nTasers have been used by police to subdue fleeing or dangerous suspects since 2008.
\nBut illegal possession of a Taser carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A jealous husband rigged up a home-made device similar to a police Taser on his front door to deter a neighbor he suspected was having an affair with his wife. Alan Fletcher, 51, booby-trapped his own house after developing doubts over the fidelity of his wife, Pam. A court heard Fletcher was \u201cobsessed\u201d that one […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-272589","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n