A Co Offaly phone shop proprietor appeared before Tullamore Circuit Court charged with possession of eight realistic imitation firearms in a public place. Ali Raza (29), with an address at Boyne Meadows, Edenderry, and proprietor of the Fone Geek shop at JKL Street, Edenderry, is charged with possession of the imitation firearms at the shop on November 13th, 2024. Raza, originally from Pakistan, has been in Ireland since he was a child, attending school here and later Dublin City University. He also sells TVs, vapes and scooters in his shop. The charge before the court also alleges that Raza had the imitation firearms without lawful authority or reasonable excuse.Sgt Colm Coffey of the Offaly Drugs Unit told the court that on November 13th, 2024, he obtained a warrant to search the Fone Geek shop.Coffey told Shane Geraghty, barrister for the Director of Public Prosecutions, that on entering the shop he saw on the left-hand side a glass case containing “the likes of bongs and baggies, paraphernalia” and the eight realistic imitation firearms. “They were very realistic, initially I thought they were over one joule,” Coffey said. To be classed as a firearm the muzzle must have a capacity of measuring over one joule of energy, the court heard.The jury were also allowed to handle the imitation firearms.Coffey said each gun was in a hard black plastic case, all of which were closed, except for one that was left sitting open on display in the glass case. Coffey also gave one of the imitation firearms, a HG 192, which was made of metal, to Judge Keenan Johnson to examine. “That’s safe,” Coffey told Johnson. He also showed the judge the magazine which was spring loaded and the plastic balls with their packaging for the imitation firearm. Ballistics testing found that the muzzle capacity of each of the imitation firearms fell under one joule and so they were not firearms under the legislation. The guns were modelled on semi-automatic pistols, including the Beretta. Coffey arrested Raza on May 7th last year at Tullamore Garda station, where he was interviewed.The court heard that he purchased the imitation firearms from Trimex (trading as Hot Deals Wholesale Ltd), of Fashion City, Ballymount, Dublin, which is a wholesaler that is open to the public. Coffey agreed with Nugent that the closed cases containing the imitation firearms had the word “airsoft” on their sides. Airsoft pistols are non-lethal replica handguns. Raza told Coffey that airsoft was “like playing with paintball”. The case was adjourned to Friday where the court will hear the case by the defence, including evidence from Raza.