A SEDGLEY man who bought three stun guns disguised as torches on a Chinese website has been jailed for five years.

Steven Morton admitted he was "fascinated" with the weapons but had not known stun guns were illegal in the UK when he bought the them.

Peter McCartney, prosecuting, told Wolverhampton Crown Court that after buying one gun on the website Morton sent for two more, which were intercepted by police officers at a Royal Mail sorting office in London.

They were set to be delivered to his mother's Wolverhampton home but Morton immediately admitted to police he had placed the order when contacted by officers the following day.

The 49-year-old then revealed he had already received one stun gun from the same source.

"The defendant said he had not known they were illegal," said Mr McCartney.

"He said he was fascinated by them and that was why he had placed the order."

Niall Skinner, defending, said: "He had no intention of committing any offence and he has been entirely honest with the police."

He continued: "He even volunteered the fact he had already received one of the weapons but nothing I can say can make his situation any better."

Morton, of Clifton Street, admitted possession of a prohibited weapon and purchasing prohibited weapons and Recorder Simon Ward said it was accepted he was "sorry and embarrassed" by what he had done.

But he added: "Stun guns are extremely dangerous pieces of equipment and that is why Parliament said that people who possess them go to prison for at least five years.

"You told police that your partner often worked late and it could be useful if you gave one to her," he told Morton.

"If you had done that she would also have been looking at five years in prison."