A teenage drug dealer who intended to commit robbery with a gun hidden in a sock has been jailed for seven and a half years.

Marcel Noushie, 19, from Bostall Lane in Abbey Wood, threw away his high-powered air pistol while police chased him in Plumstead.

The two plain clothes officers hadn’t even suspected the teenage drug dealer of anything until he started acting suspiciously.

The two officers were on patrol near St Nicholas Gardens on December 12 around 4.15pm when they spotted Noushie.

When they approached Noushie, he ran away from the police down Plumstead High Street, hurling aside his firearm in the process.

Police caught up and detained him after a struggle and arrested him on possession with intent to supply once they discovered he had 12 bags of cannabis.

The following day, a member of the public found the weapon hidden in a sock in St Nicholas Gardens and reported it to the police.

An examination of the pistol revealed that it was capable of causing lethal injury and Noushie admitted that he had thrown it away when he was being chased.

When Noushie’s address was searched, police found drug paraphernalia, an air pistol box, and text messages on his phone indicated he was planning to rob someone using the pistol.

Noushie was found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to commit robbery on April 6 after a two-day trial at Woolwich Crown Court. He had previously admitted to possession of cannabis with intent to supply.

He was also found guilty for an unrelated offence - a street robbery committed in May 2016 - and jailed for two-and-a-half years, to run consecutively.

He was sentenced yesterday to a total of seven and a half years’ imprisonment.

Detective Constable Andrew Payne, from Greenwich Gangs Unit, said: "These brave officers ran towards danger, and this arrest demonstrates the dangers police officers across London face every day.

“Marcel Noushie is a dangerous offender, and his arrest prevented a serious crime being committed. He will now spend a significant period of time behind bars.

“We work closely with our community partners in reducing serious youth violence and taking firearms off London's streets.”