A car dealer has found himself in court after discovering a shotgun in the boot of a Volkswagen Jetta that he bought from three strangers.

Jason Fellows, of Woodville, Derbyshire, picked up the concealed package while helping to clear out the boot.

Prosecutor, Graham Russell told Wolverhampton Crown Court that when Fellows had discovered it was a shotgun, he quickly returned it to the owner.

Three weeks later, detectives arrested a man in a swoop on a taxi where they found the shotgun with Fellows’ fingerprints on it.

The 43-year-old was unaware that the owner of the shotgun was involved in a major drug investigation by West Yorkshire Police.

Fellows added to his troubles when he ran down a relative during a feud in Willenhall Lane, Willenhall, on February 23, last year.

Defending Fellows, Mr Tom Harrill, told the court: “Both these offences stem from poor decision making – He held the shotgun for less than a minute and in the Willenhall confrontation feared for his son’s safety.”

Fellows was given a 12 month community order with 120 hours unpaid work, a 16 week night time curfew and a £1,000 fine.