An Ipswich man has been given a suspended sentence after frightening children with an imitation handgun.

A resident of a flat in Birkfield Drive heard a commotion and when he looked out of his window he saw his neighbour Stuart Lambert with what appeared to be a handgun.

Lambert was standing on an area of grass near the pavement, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

On the opposite side of the road there was a group of young children who ran off when they saw Lambert with the gun, said Michael Crimp, prosecuting.

The neighbour tried to persuade Lambert, who was holding the gun with both hands and pointing it down the street, to go back inside but Lambert had just sworn at him.

Shortly afterwards the neighbour saw Lambert pointing the gun out of a window of his ground floor flat.

Mr Crimp said that the neighbour thought the gun was real and feared he might be shot.

Another neighbour, who saw Lambert jump out of a window of his flat with what appeared to be a pistol and wave it around with his finger on the trigger, told police he had feared for his life during the incident, which lasted about seven minutes.

A police firearms’ unit was sent to Lambert’s flat and during a search they seized four BB guns and some pellets.

Lambert, 47, of Birkfield Drive, admitted having an imitation firearm in a public place on September 13 last year.

He was given a 10 month prison sentence suspended for two years and ordered to take part in a 30 day rehabilitation activity requirement.

He was also ordered to take part in a six month alcohol treatment requirement and to pay £60 prosecution costs and a £140 victim surcharge.

Judge David Goodin also ordered that the BB guns and ammunition found in Lambert’s flat should be forfeited.

Roger Thomson, representing Lambert, blamed his clients’s drink problem for the offence and said no-one had been injured in the incident.