A 22-year-old man from Dartford has been jailed for over six years after he was caught with a gun and bullets inside his gym locker.

Freddie Bell, of Patterdale Road in Dartford, left a self-loading pistol and 10 rounds of ammo inside a drawstring sports bag, and then hid the bag inside the men's changing rooms.

But the weapon was discovered after staff members at the gym on Darenth Road cut the padlock on Bell's locker after he broke the gym's policy of keeping a locker overnight.

Bell was sentenced at Woolwich Crown Court on Tuesday, December 17, after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm and ammunition.

He has been sentenced to six years and three months in jail, which includes one year for breaching the terms of a suspended sentence for a previous unrelated matter.

Investigating officer Detective Constable Dave Bull said: "Every firearm taken out of circulation is potentially a life saved.

"Freddie Bell thought he could get away with storing this weapon at his gym and we thank staff for reporting it as soon as it was uncovered.

"Anyone caught with a gun will face the full force of the law and the sentence in this case reflects the seriousness of having a firearm in your possession."

The court heard how the 22-year-old had visited the gym on Friday, November 1, and spoke to the receptionist about the whereabouts of his property, which had been removed from two days previously.

He confirmed the number of the locker and gave an accurate description of the bag he had placed there, which by that point had already been seized by a police officer.

Bell then left his name and telephone number and was told he would be contacted once his belongings had been located.

Following an investigation by detectives from the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate, he was arrested on Monday, November 18.