Lancashire News
Drug dealer who hid shotgun in kennel and drugs in recycling tub
Imtiaz Hussain has been jailed for four-and-a-half years
Imtiaz Hussain, 25, of Monk Street, Accrington.
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A young father has been jailed for four-and-a-half years after a stolen shotgun and £1,300 worth of drugs were found at his home.
Imtiaz Hussain's house on Pendle Street in Accrington was raided by police on March 22 last year, a court heard.
Officers found a Winchester 12 bore shotgun and cartridges in a dog kennel which had been stolen from a house five months earlier.
Prosecutor Stephen Parker told Burnley Crown Court how £1,000 worth of cocaine and £330 were also recovered from a shoe box hidden inside a recycling tub.
Inside the property, belonging to Imtiaz Hussain and his wife Shamsa Noreen Hussain, police also found a small cannabis set up in one of the bedrooms containing four adult plants and a number of seedlings.
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The court heard how Imtiaz, 25, was not at the property at the time of the raid.
He was stopped by police in Accrington on July 2 and was found to be in possession of cannabis.
When an officer tried to arrest him Imtiaz fled and was not arrested until September.
Pendle Street in Accrington (Image: Google)
Imtiaz, now of Monk Street, Accrington, pleaded guilty to possessing a shotgun without a firearms certificate, possessing cocaine and cannabis with intent to supply, possessing cannabis and escaping from lawful custody.
Shamsa, 23, now of India Street, Accrington, pleaded guilty to permitting her premises to be used for the production of cannabis.
Shafqat Khan, defending Imtiaz, said he was a 'custodian in relation to the drugs and shotgun'.
He told the court that running away from police was an 'act of sheer stupidity' and he is 'determined to change his ways'.
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Mr Khan told the court how Imtiaz became a father for the first time in November last year but missed the birth because he was remanded into custody.
He said: "If there's anything to focus a man's attention it is the birth of his first child.
"At the time of the offence he was using cannabis and was hanging around with the wrong crowd for sometime."
Burnley-Crown-Court
Sentencing Imtiaz, Judge Andrew Woolman said: "You were keeping [the shotgun] for somebody and that person, whoever they maybe is obviously a criminal involved in the drug world.
"It's a serious matter if you're keeping a shotgun which could be used for some sort of unlawful purpose."
Shamsa was granted bail for the preparation of a probation service report and will be sentenced on March 18.
Burnley Crown Court
Hyndburn