Yorkshire motorhome company director goes on trial accused of keeping tear gas at his farmhouse

Grace Newton
By Grace Newton
Published 14th Sep 2022, 15:55 BST
The director of two motorhome sales companies has denied keeping illegal CS or ‘tear’ gas at his luxury farmhouse in North Yorkshire.

Paul Simon Frankland, 57, is on trial at York Crown Court after pleading not guilty to two counts of possessing a prohibited weapon.

North Yorkshire Police found two canisters of a substance later identified as CS gas during a search of his six-acre farm in Brompton-on-Swale, near Richmond, in December 2020.

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One canister was inside a shoe cupboard beneath the stairs of the 19-room farmhouse, while another was kept ‘in plain sight’ in a wardrobe containing motorcycle leathers.

CS gas can be sprayed at a victimCS gas can be sprayed at a victim
CS gas can be sprayed at a victim

It is accepted that the canisters had not beeen deployed ‘nefariously’ to cause harm or distress and did not appear to have been used.

‘Tear’ gas is so named because it causes irritation to the eyes and nasal passages. It is authorised for use in extreme situations involving public unrest by law enforcement agencies in the UK, but it cannot be legally owned by a private individual.

Mr Frankland is the director of Harrogate Motorhomes Ltd and Seekers Motorhomes Ltd and lives at the property with his wife Gill.

The trial continues.