GREATER Manchester Police (GMP) has released images of an antique gun which a Bolton man hid in a wardrobe.

Mohammed Aqeel Khan, 26, told officers he chanced upon the 117-year-old revolver while urinating in a field and took it home because he was worried it might be discovered by a child.

He later sent a number of pictures of himself posing with the firearm to friends and when asked why, Khan told officers he got a “bit excited” as it was the first time he had seen a gun.

On March 11 this year, officers from GMP’s Xcalibre and Challenger teams executed a warrant at Khan’s home on Malton Avenue, Deane.

They found the revolver, originally constructed in 1903, hidden under some towels in a wardrobe, along with three bullets in a jacket pocket.

Earlier this month, a jury took less than an hour to convict Khan of possessing an illegal firearm following a two-day trial at Bolton Crown Court.

Khan had claimed he was waiting for a gun amnesty to be announced before contacting GMP about the gun.

Following the verdict, Judge Timothy Stead immediately sentenced Khan to a minimum term of five years’ imprisonment.

Last year, more than 200 guns were handed in during a two-week long firearm surrender in Greater Manchester.

The haul included real guns, replicas and plastic imitation guns.

Among the deactivated guns handed over were an AK47, an Uzi sub-machine gun and a Bren Second World War machine gun.

Superintendent Danny Inglis said: “The firearms surrender was a great success and any gun that gets handed in is one less on the street for criminals to get their hands on. I’m really pleased with that response.

“The aim of the campaign has been to get weapons that now can’t fall into the wrong hands. Some will have been held by people that had an interest in guns or they like collecting antiques. But if they fall into the wrong hands, for instance if someone is burgled, criminals could end up with those weapons.

“They’re very large and intimidating weapons. If you got one of these pointed at you, you wouldn’t know it was a replica or a real firearm.

“Guns have no place in Greater Manchester and we will continue to work hard to ensure the streets of Manchester remain a safe place to be.”

“The success of the surrender is as a result of continued efforts from GMP, and our partners working together to safeguard, intervene and educate at the earliest opportunity.”