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A keen metal detectorist who stored a shotgun and spent cartridges in a bush in his back garden said he found the metre-long weapon in woods near his Leeds home.

A judge at Leeds Crown Court said he was “sceptical” about Ray Fowler’s story that he unearthed the calibre 410 folding single-barrel gun four years ago while out searching for metals, and had planned to mount it on his wall.

The 62-year-old admitted an offence of possessing a shotgun without a certificate during a sentencing hearing this week. Prosecutor Lydia Carroll said police were alerted and attended his address at Brookfield Gardens in Rodley with a search warrant on August 10, last year.

They found the gun wrapped in a bin liner in his garden, and the spent cartridges were located in a kitchen cupboard. They also found a small amount of cannabis, to which he also pleaded guilty to an offence of simple possession.

Fowler said he found the gun while out metal detecting. (library pics by Getty Images / National World)

Former soldier Fowler claimed he found the weapon, alongside the cartridges, but admitted he had made repairs to the gun. Despite it being rusty, it was found to still be capable of being fired. Fowler claimed he had never fired it, and had no intention.

He said he initially kept it in a cupboard, but moved it to the garden when his daughter and her children came to live with him. The shotgun measured 103cm in length, including a 65cm-long barrel.

A probation report into Fowler, who has three dissimilar previous convictions, had worked as a driver after leaving the Army, first delivering blood, then transporting patients to hospital. He has since set up a catering business.

Judge Ray Singh handed him a 12-month community order and 120 hours of unpaid work, but told him he was a “tad sceptical” about his story. Despite this, he said he would sentence him on the basis of his story, as well as adhering to the recommendations of the probation service to impose a non-custodial sentence.

He told Fowler: “Any right-thinking person would say that anybody who possesses a shotgun in their back garden and has cartridges that fits that shotgun should go to prison for a long, long time. Frankly, I’m shocked with the guidelines for this case.”

Metal detectorist said he found working shotgun and ammo in woods near his Leeds home