A MAN has admitted having a sawn-off shotgun stashed in a shed on a city allotment.
Police sniffer dogs led officers to the discovery when Martin Parkinson, 29, was stopped close to Frenchwood allotments.
Parkinson had 9oz of cannabis on him but when the dog followed his trail back to Frenchwood allotments the dismantled 12-gauge shotgun was found hidden in the shed.
Several plots at Frenchwood allotments on Malvern Avenue and Southern Parade, Preston, were sealed off by police - some for 24 hours.
Forensic examinations linked Parkinson to the shotgun and confirmed it was a “viable weapon”.
Parkinson pleaded guilty to possession of the firearm but said he was not the owner of the gun.
He also said he had not taken the gun to the shed on June 12 but admitted it had been in his possession.
The shed was also registered to another man but Parkinson had gained access through an unsecured window, Preston Crown Court was told.
Parkinson pleaded guilty to possession of cannabis at an earlier court hearing.
Judge Caroline Beech told Parkinson: “You have very sensibly pleaded guilty on the basis of plea that you have.
“You know what the bottom line is in relation to the firearms offence which is it attracts a minimum sentence.
“Custody is inevitable.”
The court heard Parkinson has a “poor record” for violence and possession of offensive weapons. and had previously been sentenced to 20 months in prison for knife offences.
But Hugh Barton, defending, said Parkinson, of HMP Preston, had not been convicted of anything of this seriousness.
Judge Beech ordered a pre-sentence report and remanded Parkinson in custody until he is sentenced on November 23.
Comments