POLICE who saw a banned driver behind the wheel and searched his car found a shotgun and cartridges in the boot.

A court heard that the gun and ammunition had been stolen hours earlier from the home of a shooting club member.

Peter Jenkins was yesterday jailed for a total of two years and four months for charges arising from the incident, in March.

He admitted handling the stolen gun, possessing a firearm and ammunition in a public place, possessing a firearm while prohibited, possessing a Class B drug, and driving while disqualified and without insurance.

Teesside Crown Court heard how the amphetamine addict bought the Browning shotgun for £150 and planned to sell it for £300 to make money to buy drugs.

The judge, Recorder Christopher Batty, said he accepted the weapon was not to be used in a crime by Jenkins, but told him it could easily have ended up in the hands of criminals.

Mr Recorder Batty said: "People who possess firearms and ammunition without authority place themselves in a serious position as far as these courts are concerned.

"Firearms are often used in criminal offences and you know the very lethal nature of them. You had both the firearm and ammunition, so it was all ready to go.

"But I accept that this was more of a commodity to earn you money than any intention to use the firearm yourself.

"But you were intending to pass it on to someone else, with the ammunition, who could have used it. Therefore, it was going into criminal hands with the capacity to be used."

The court heard how father-to-be Jenkins, of Eton Street, Hartlepool, had been caught driving while disqualified 12 times, and had a conviction for burglary.

Gillian Milton, prosecuting, said the burglary in Hartlepool happened overnight on March 12 and 13. Jenkins was seen in a Vauxhall Corsa by community support officers at 9.30am.

Later that day, police saw him elsewhere in the town and found the gun and 200 cartridges when they searched the car. They also found amphetamines in Jenkins' jacket.

Robin Denny, in mitigation, said: "Obviously, it is an alarming situation that he should have this gun in a vehicle with the ammunition, but he has a drug habit and it was to sustain that.

"There was no sinister motive."