A Helensburgh man caught trying to import two lethal taser guns into the UK has been awarded £34,500 by an industrial tribunal.

Ross Malcolm, 25, was awarded the cash after the Glasgow tribunal heard he was paid below the minimum wage while working at the long established company, Helensburgh Tyre Services.

But the money has never been paid by garage owner Frank Aranci because the firm is now bankrupt.

In a totally separate case, reported in last week's Advertiser, Malcolm, 25 of Old Luss Road, pleaded guilty at Dumbarton Sheriff Court to a charge of "being concerned in an attempt at evasion of the prohibition on importation of goods under the Firearms Act".

He admitted trying to import two Taser-style weapons from south east Asia in breach of the Customs and Excise Management Act.

Sentence was deferred until March 14 with the sheriff calling for a full social background report and an assessment for a "restriction of liberty order".

READ MORE: Helensburgh man caught trying to import 'taser' guns from Vietnam.

In a story about the tribunal award, carried in the Advertiser's sister paper, The Herald, Malcolm claimed he had been treated like slave labour at the firm and kept the business going while Mr Aranci was away on holiday, even though he was being paid less than he should have been.

He claimed he was sacked when, during an exchange of words over his pay, Mr Aranci told him to "get to f***".

But Mr Aranci, a Burgh businessman well known for his support of charities and good causes, has denied the allegations, saying he was not a nasty person and had treated Ross Malcolm as a member of the family.

He said Malcolm was not sacked but walked out.

Mr Aranci, who said he had not been advised of the tribunal and was not present, added: "He was an apprentice who worked for us four years from 2011. He was paid fair and square by my bookkeeper for what he did.

"But I went way beyond what any employer would be expected to do to support an employee.

"I gave him a car I had bought and paid for the insurance. I also paid out £2,000 in driving lessons for him because he was learning for over a year.

"But he had a lot of issues away from work and he brought a lot of trouble to our door. People would come round looking for him."

The tribunal heard that the matter came to a head March 2015 when Malcolm began to suffer financial problems due to his low pay.

On the day he was due to be evicted, Malcolm told his boss that he was “fed up” and should at least be paid the minimum wage.

The businessman replied that he was not getting anymore money and Malcolm walked out after being told to “get to f**k”.

The tribunal ruled it was not clear whether the claimant was dismissed or whether he resigned, but it added that dismissal in the circumstances was not within the range of reasonable response, and therefore that dismissal was unfair.

The tribunal found that Malcolm, who represented himself at the hearing, had been underpaid by almost £10,000.

He was also awarded payment for holidays.

Employment judge Muriel Robison awarded him a total of £34,484.41.

Mr Aranci, who said he first he knew of the tribunal finding only a couple of weeks ago, told the Advertiser that rumours were spreading around the town that Helensburgh Tyre Service had gone bust as a result of the tribunal.

He said: "These rumours are simply not true."

Helensburgh Tyre Services Ltd was officially dissolved on September 28 last year.

A new company, Local Tyre Services, operating at the same address, was started by Mr Aranci's wife Leeane in April 2017.

Mrs Aranci told the Advertiser: "I started the business myself with a money pot of £700 from my own savings.

"The business is in it's infancy and while it washes its face and pays its way it is by no way a booming business.

Asked why the original sign "Helensburgh Tyre Services" is still above the door, she said: "Quite simply I have been unable to afford to change the signage."