Oswestry shotgun offence man warned of prison term
A man from Shropshire has been warned to expect a jail sentence after being caught with a sawn-off shotgun and 40 cannabis plants.
Royston Pughe, 42, of Shrewsbury Road, Oswestry, was given the warning after he admitted possessing a prohibited firearm on May 25 last year.
Pughe, who was living in Matching Green in Essex at the time of the offences, appeared at Chelmsford Crown Court on Monday where he admitted the charge.
He is also due to be sentenced for producing 40 cannabis plants at the Matching Green property.
He admitted that offence at Chelmsford Magistrates' Court in October and the case was sent to the crown court.
During the hearing, the court heard that the firearm was a sawn-off shotgun which Pughe claimed he found.
The offence carries a mandatory five-year minimum jail sentence unless there are "exceptional circumstances".
Judge John Dodd QC adjourned sentence until March 5 and warned Pughe that he was likely to be jailed.
Pughe was granted bail until March 5.