A HALESOWEN man desperate to be with his family has been locked up for three years after he was caught in possession of a stun gun disguised as a torch.

Aaron Williams, who had vowed to stay on the straight and narrow, had been barred for life from having a firearm of any description as a result of his list of previous convictions.

Williams, aged 38, had been sentenced in the past for offences including three robberies committed while in possession of an imitation firearm, Wolverhampton Crown Court was told.

But when police officers went to the bedsit where he was staying in Gibbs Road on an unrelated matter they discovered the stun gun in a wardrobe.

He was arrested and when questioned later by the officers, Williams maintained he had been threatened by other men who asked him to look after the weapon.

Curtis Myrie, defending, said: "Williams was living a family life when he suddenly found himself faced by an unusual set of circumstances.

"He was approached by individuals who threatened both him and his family, he made the wrong decision, he caved in to those threats and took possession of the stun gun."

Williams who had moved into the bedsit to help protect his family told the court he was full of remorse for his actions adding: "I have ruined everything. All I want is to be with my family."

He admitted possessing the prohibited firearm and he was jailed for three years. The offence normally carries a minimum five year spell behind bars.

But Williams was told he would serve a shorter sentence because it was clear he had been trying to stay out of trouble with the police and the stun gun was not a potentially lethal weapon.