THE best friend of former Rangers star Paul Gascoigne was jailed for six months after admitting possession of an unloaded air pistol at Newcastle Crown Court yesterday.
Jimmy ''Five Bellies'' Gardner was told by Judge Guy Whitburn that the use of firearms was a serious matter which the courts could only address with a custodial sentence.
Gardner, 34, of Bensham, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing.
Police had stopped him in May, and he was carrying a target air pistol. He said he had been drinking and was returning home when he was taunted by a group of youths.
Character references from celebrity friends, including radio DJ Chris Evans, were produced for the judge before sentencing yesterday.
But Mr Whitburn said the use of firearms was prevalent in society and Parliament had taken steps to discourage them.
Gardner, who appeared nervous throughout the hearing, looked shocked as he was led away after sentencing.
Friends and family were in court, but Gascoigne was not present, although his father, John, was. He left after sentence was passed, telling reporters he had no comment to make.
The footballer's younger sister, Lindsay Goodacre, was led away in tears.
The court was told of Gardner's charity work and also the pressures of living in the media spotlight as Gascoigne's friend.
Mr Geoff Hunter, defending, told the judge that the ''offence was wholly out of character''.
He gave the judge references from Middlesbrough Football Club chief executive Keith Lamb, Torquay United manager Wes Saunders and Virgin Radio boss Chris Evans.
Mr Hunter said: ''The gun was never seen by anybody save when it was handed over to the police.
''It wasn't used, it wasn't waved about. Nobody was threatened with it.''
Gardner, he said, who was a tireless supporter of local charities, particularly those associated with disabled people, had been provoked by the taunts of youths because of his weight.
Famous for being a famous person's friend, Gardner's celebrity has often appeared dubious, but his close and often calamitous friendship with Gascoigne, aided by his nickname, made him a headline writer's dream.
The pair were pictured together throughout many scrapes and stunts.
As Gascoigne moved between Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Lazio, Rangers and Middlesbrough, Gardner was never far behind. But he rejected the suggestion that he was ever a minder for the England midfielder.
Both shared a penchant for nights out and high jinks and Gardner was often the butt of his friend's practical jokes.
During one night out the footballer wagered #1000 that Gardner could not withstand a lighted cigarette held against his nose for 10 seconds. Gardner won but suffered a one-inch burn for his troubles.
On another occasion he parachuted from 12,000ft after reportedly being dared by Gascoigne.
Their friendship was not appreciated by everyone, however, and during the footballer's time at Rangers, the then manager Walter Smith banned Gardner from Ibrox.
In February 1997, Gardner was fined #500 at Paisley Sheriff Court after being found guilty of assault during a brawl in a pub in Houston, Renfrewshire, after an Old Firm game.
Sheriff Bill Dunlop said the offence, in which Gardner punched a Celtic fan in the face, did not appear to be all that serious, but added that in its context there had been a sectarian element which made it more serious. Gardner admitted he had punched the man, but claimed he had only lashed out in retaliation.
Despite his nickname, Gardner went on a fitness drive earlier this year to lose weight and asked not to be known by his nickname - but the tag has stuck.
His associations did, however, bring some rewards and his stature as a celebrity was confirmed when he was asked to switch on the Christmas lights in his native Newcastle.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article