A MAN was caught with an illegal stun gun after his mother called police to complain that his BMW was being smashed up by youths.

But when officers attended Lee Mullineaux's home on February 24 they discovered the car was a stolen vehicle and there was property from seven burglaries at his house in St Helens Road, Bolton.

At Bolton Crown Court Mullineaux pleaded guilty to possessing an illegal firearm and seven counts of handling stolen goods.

David James, prosecuting, told the court that the phone call to police on February 24 had been because "others had harassed Mr Mullineaux for the stolen vehicle he was driving around in".

But the blue BMW 520 was on false number plates and had been stolen from a house in Ainsdale Road, Great Lever, eight days earlier.Police found a cloned key for the vehicle, which was worth £7,500 and the number plates it was using had been taken from a car in Egerton on February 17.

Other items include personal documents which had been stolen from a house in Farnworth on February 15, a Mercedes booklet and number plates taken from a car in Horwich on January 24.

There were further items and documents, and various other documents taken from other burglaries. Officers also found a stun gun, which had a working charge in it and 25-year-old Mullineaux claimed had been in the BMW when he bought

it.

Kimberley Morton, defending, stressed: "There is no evidence that he used any of these items or id documents.

"This isn't a sophisticated offender. He is 25 and very immature."

Judge Graeme Smith was told that Mullineaux's life had "spiralled out of control" after the break up of his relationship and inability to see his children led him to turn to crack cocaine, spending up to £200 a day to support his addiction.

Judge Smith handed Mullineaux a total possible sentence of 75 weeks in prison, suspended for two years.

Mullineaux will be electronically tagged for six months during a 9pm to 8am curfew. He must also participate in 20 days of rehabilitation activities and a Thinking Skills programme.