A former Devon county councillor has been banned from owning a shotgun after being convicted of attacking a man at a doctor’s surgery, writes Ted Davenport.

Devon and Cornwall Police revoked David Luggar’s firearms certificate after he was arrested for assault in October 2022, an event which also led to him resigning as the councillor for Landkey in North Devon.

Luggar appealed against the withdrawal of his licence to Exeter Crown Court but his case was rejected and he was ordered to pay £600 costs by Judge David Evans.

His barrister William Parkhill told the court that the conviction for causing actual bodily harm was the only reason for revocation and that he been rehabilitated through work with the probation service and poses no risk to the public.

Bus driver Luggar, aged 57, of Landkey Road, Barnstaple, was given a ten week suspended sentence by North and East Devon magistrates in January 2023 after admitting the assault.

He has previously served on both Devon County Council and North Devon District Council as a Conservative or Independent but resigned after his arrest, triggering a by-election in December 2022 which was won by the Conservative candidate.

Judge Evans rejected his appeal after considering the case with two lay magistrates.

He said: “We reject your appeal. We are satisfied that in the light of this incident of interpersonal violence at a medical centre that you should not be permitted to have a firearm or ammunition in your possession because you cannot do so without the risk of danger to the public or the peace.

 “We have taken into account everything we have heard and read including three impressive character references. Having a shotgun certificate is a privilege and not a right and one must behave to an impeccable standard to be allowed to have a lethal weapon in one’s hands.”

During the appeal hearing the court heard how Luggar was called by his daughter’s school to attend a surgery where she was being treated but found the child with his ex-partner and another man, who he ordered to leave before slapping him and grappling with him in front of other patients, leaving the victim with a split lip.

Luggar told the Judge that he considered his own behaviour ‘shocking’ but said it was totally out of character. He said he still farms part time and needs a gun to deal with vermin. He is also a clay pigeon shooter.

He said the incident at the medical centre in Barnstaple had ruined his life, leading to him resigning as a County Councillor, losing contact with his daughter, and losing the job he held at the time.

Acting Chief Inspector Alex Cooper said he took the decision to revoke the certificate based solely on the conviction for causing actual bodily harm, which he felt made it potentially unsafe for Luggar to retain access to firearms.