A young Welsh woman who drove two friends about while they shot at road signs with BB guns has been given a three month suspended prison sentence and 300 hours' community service.
Catrin Hughes, 19, was pulled over by police in Mold after four hours' target practice on the road with her friends Wyn Matthew Hughes, 20, and 18-year-old Ben Gleeson.
Earlier that day, CCTV officers were alarmed to see what appeared to be a lethal hand gun pointing from a window of Ms Hughes' Vauxhall Astra. A police helicopter and armed response unit were deployed to deal with the perceived threat - though in the event neither saw any action.
In custody, Ms Hughes alleged that the boys had been shooting at people, but they claimed only to have been shooting signs and other static targets.
Though Welsh magistrates did not issue Ms Hughes with a driving ban, she may find her car insurance premiums rise steeply in price as a result of the conviction. Also, it'll be a while - three years, in fact - before the now imprisoned Hughes or Gleeson will be able to cadge another lift in her car.
Mike Page, spokesperson for the cheap car insurance specialists at Hoot, said: "Before I realised my destiny lay in the cheap car insurance game, I used to dream of working on a police helicopter crew.
"I was obsessed with the A-Team and Vietnam movies at the time, so it seemed like a natural career choice."