A MAN caught with hundreds of pounds worth of drugs and a stun gun walked free from court after a judge heard he had never used the weapon.

Craig Buckton, 26, claimed he found the Tasar-style gun and simply put it in a drawer in the kitchen of his home in South Bank, Middlesbrough.

His lawyer, Andrew Teate, told Teesside Crown Court today (Tuesday, October 23): “He had never taken it out, never brandished it or used it in any way to threaten.”

The gun was found when police searched Buckton's home following his arrest in Middlesbrough town centre for a drugs offence on January 26.

Prosecutor Jenny Haigh told the court that when his car was stopped on Longlands Road, officers found more than £300 worth of cocaine in bags.

Mr Teate said father-of-one Buckton was hoping to get a job off-shore and had never been in trouble other than for a matter of drink-driving years ago.

Buckton, of Achilles Court, South Bank, was given an 18-month supervision order after admitting possessing a prohibited weapon and Class A drugs.