A UK boy has been arrested after they were found to be in possession of an iPhone that was actually a taser.
It appears that they had an iPhone inside a case that can do double duty as a taser. The cases are illegal in the United Kingdom, but it’s thought that they are sometimes imported into the country from the United States where such cases are legal in some states and are sold as personal protection devices.
Anyone caught with such a case in the UK could find themselves facing up to ten years in prison.
A shocking discovery
Birmingham local news (opens in new tab) reports that the boy was found by police in Sutton Coldfield, before being arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon.
While it isn’t clear which case the boy had, Amazon and other retailers sell them freely in the United States.
“Apparently they were developed in the States to combat muggings and can deliver a shock of up to 650,000 volts of electricity. They are illegal in this country; possession of a non-lethal taser is a criminal offense which I understand carries a maximum prison sentence of ten years,” Councillor Richard Parkin told those gathered at a local ward meeting. “It doesn’t appear that they are very easy to get hold of in the UK but they have been smuggled into this country and used by organized gangs.”
The shocking news comes as some U.S.-based companies sell the cases as a means of self-defense to be used when under attack. However, it’s suggested that they’re now being used for nefarious business across the pond.
Once upon a time, the only thing shocking about the iPhone was the U.K. prices, especially for those picking up Apple’s best iPhones. The iPhone 14 lineup saw a price bump in the region, for example.
Now it seems that the iPhones themselves are literally shocking people too.
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