A 37-year-old man has been jailed for six months after pleading guilty to weapon offences after a routine traffic stop led to the recovery of an imitation firearm and two knives.

Northamptonshire Police officers spotted a white Piaggio Vespa GTS scooter, which had links to a wanted man, while on patrol in Burghley Drive, Corby, shortly before 3pm on January 15 this year.

Officers briefly lost sight of the scooter as it travelled along Oakley Road towards Corby town centre, however it wasn’t long before they found the vehicle and the rider parked in Everest Lane.

The officers approached the rider, who was identified as Liam Paul McKinnon. Although he wasn’t the wanted man linked to the Vespa, McKinnon then told the officers that he was not insured to ride the scooter and he was promptly arrested.

While officers were dealing with McKinnon, they heard something drop on the floor and then found a suspected black handgun near to the vehicle. This turned out to be a black pellet gun, which McKinnon claimed he had just bought.

McKinnon then told the officers that he also had a machete in his backpack and a rambo-type knife under the Vespa’s seat. Both items were recovered, and he was further arrested for the possession of the weapons.

He was subsequently charged with the possession of an imitation firearm in a public place, two counts of with possession of a knife blade/sharp pointed article in a public place and driving without insurance.

On January 16, McKinnon appeared at Northampton Magistrates’ Court and was remanded in custody. His case was committed to the county’s crown court and on March 21, he pleaded guilty to all four charges.

McKinnon, of no fixed address, was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and had six penalty points added to his driving licence. The court also ordered issued a destruction order on the pellet gun and two knives.

Detective Constable Nichola Carrol of the North CID team, who led the investigation, said: “McKinnon only has himself to blame as it was through riding a Vespa scooter illegally that he caught our attention and led us to the recovery of the imitation firearm and knives.

“We hope that this investigation provides reassurance to our local communities that we will continue to robustly remove both dangerous individuals and illegal weapons from the streets of our towns.”

If anyone has concerns about knife crime within their community, please report it to us on 101 or online at www.northants.police.uk/ro. Alternatively, call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.