Prison for man who sparked airport gun scare
By Dean Valler
A father of two who set off a massive security scare at Coventry airport when a gun was discovered in his car has been sentenced to five years in prison.
EdwardCarloGarofano, ofWillowRoad, Bromsgrove, was sentenced at Warwick Crown yesterday having pleaded guilty to eight gun-related charges.
The court heard that he was arrested on July 25 at Coventry Airport when police spotted him taking pictures of the airport and became concerned about his behaviour.
He had taken four people to the airport and the gun, which had one bullet in the chamber, was in a bag he had strapped around his waist.
The four were detained and later released, and a flight to Vienna was grounded for four hours while the plane and buildings were searched.
Officers searched his car and found a Walther PPK semi-automatic pistol, a magazine containing seven rounds for the gun and a CS gas canister.
At his home, police found weapons including a pump-action Smith & Wesson shotgun, a .45 self-loading Colt semi-automatic pistol and another .45 self-loading pistol.
Francis Laird, prosecuting, said Garofano, aged 41, told police he had a fascination with guns, ammunition and knives, and said he manufactured weapons at home.
He said he regularly carried a loaded gun in public because he said he felt a need to be protected because of a childhood incident involving his father.
Mr Laird said Garofano was a family man of previous good character.
Ian Speed, defending, said Garofano had his first weapon when he was 12, first joined a gun club when he was 17 and had held a licence since he was 21.
Mr Speed said Garofano, a British Telecom employee, was "obsessed" with guns but said that he posed no danger to the public.
He said Garofano has a 10-year-old son and a six-year-old daughter.
Mr Speed added: "He (Garofano) is not a danger, never will be a danger in the future, and, in fact, will be what he is, Mr Normal, a married man with two children, living on a council estate with neighbours who think a lot of him and who trust him." Garofano admitted three charges of possessing prohibited firearms, one of possessing a prohibited rifle, one of possessing a prohibited weapon, two charges of possessing expanding ammunition and one of possessing a firearm and ammunition in a public place, and asked for 11 similar offences to be taken into account.
Judge Christopher Hodson said he appreciated that there was nothing sinister in Garofano's interest in guns and that it was a case with "exceptional circumstances".
But he added: "If somebody broke into your (Garofano's) home they would have immediately obtained up to three weapons, with ammunition, to use in gun crime, and there is far too much gun crime. Had you lost your bag at Coventry Airport there would have been a gun available with a bullet in it."
Garofano was sentenced to five years imprisonment for four of the charges, with a concurrent sentence of 3½ years for the remaining offences. His gun licence has been revoked.
