A man has been jailed after police searched his Ipswich bedsit and found a working revolver and bullets hidden in a wardrobe.

Ipswich Crown Court heard how plain clothes detectives were following another man along Wilberforce Street, Ipswich, on January 18, 2019, around 2.40pm.

They followed the man to a house of multiple occupancy in Wilberforce Street and while in the hallway, the detectives smelled cannabis coming from one of the rooms.

A search of Sean Casey’s room followed and he handed over 5.5g of cannabis, which was then seized, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

Casey, 33, was then arrested and a further search of his bedsit revealed a 4mm short-barrelled revolver and 45 rounds of .22 bullets – which were not compatible with the revolver – stored in a wardrobe.

Adam Norris, prosecuting, told the court the gun was “a genuine working firearm” but the bullets found were not for that weapon.

Upon analysis, Casey’s DNA was also found on the weapon, Mr Norris added.

Mr Norris said the gun and bullets were either “being hidden to be used or hidden to be passed elsewhere”.

Casey initially denied knowing about the gun or ammunition before telling police he would “rather go to prison than be a grass”, the court heard.

The court heard that Casey had 19 previous convictions for 39 offences.

Kelly Fernandez-Lee, defending, said Casey had spent years sofa-surfing and being homeless – and moved into the bedsit in Ipswich only a month before the offences.

Miss Fernandez-Lee said Casey was drinking and using recreational drugs and as a result, people were “coming and going” in his bedsit.

She said he has since moved away from Ipswich and turned his life around.

He has stopped drinking and taking drugs and started his own business, Miss Fernandez-Lee told the court.

Casey, now of Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, previously pleaded guilty to possessing a firearm without a certificate, possessing ammunition without a certificate and possession of class B drugs (cannabis).

Judge David Pugh sentenced Casey to a total of 20 months and he will serve half of that sentence in custody before being released on licence.