A man found with an arsenal of weapons and ammunition has narrowly avoided an immediate prison sentence.

John Maddison was made subject of a prison sentence for a drunken racially motivated assault which resulted in him being prohibited from owning or possessing firearms.

A police search of the 57-year-old’s County Durham home revealed that he had two air rifles, and a paintball gun along with associated ammunition in his possession.

Shaun Dryden, prosecuting, the defendant was arrested when a firearms warrant was carried out at his home and found the weapons stashed away.

Among the items recovered were a gas-powered Umarex air pistol, SMK pre-charged air rifle, and relevant ammunition.

Mr Dryden told the court that a five-year prison sentence was available to the judge following the conviction for possession of firearms.

Maddison, of Lonsdale Avenue, Trimdon Grange, County Durham, pleaded guilty to a total of 15 charges, including possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of a firearm without certificate, and possession of ammunition.

Ian West, mitigating, said his client was unaware that he was not able to retain the air weapons following his conviction in 2022 but accepted that ‘ignorance of the law’ was not a defence he put forward.

“Every one of them, he bought before he got the suspended sentence,” he added. “He has not acquired any of them since he got the order.

“If he had been sent immediately to custody he would have received a sheaf of material, one of them would have informed him that possession of firearms would have been prohibited for a period of time.

“As he didn’t go to custody and was given a suspended sentence he wasn’t given those details.”

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Mr West told the court that Maddison used the air rifles to hunt rats and used the paintball gun for target practice with his grandchildren.

Judge Nathan Adams accepted the defendant’s explanation for possession of the weapons before making him subject of a community order.

Dealing with the prohibited air weapon, he added: “There is little excuse for ordering a weapon of that nature and not making sure it was a weapon you were entitled to possess.”

Maddison was also made subject of a three-month curfew between 8pm and 6am and ordered to pay a victim surcharge to the court.