A TEENAGER from Wythenshawe has been sentenced to more than three years in prison after trying to escape police and discard a firearm in Sale last December.

Keaton Winder, 18, of Swanage Avenue, was given three years and seven days imprisonment at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court yesterday after pleading guilty to possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition and a breach of bail conditions.

The court heard how officers responding to a breach of coronavirus restrictions decided to stop and search Winder after seeing him acting suspiciously on Marsland Road.

But when officers went to search Winder’s bag, he tried to run away.

However, he was found a short time later on nearby Conway Road.

No longer with his bag, Winder refused to tell officers where he had thrown it, but a police dog discovered it in the back garden of an address on Warbreck Grove.

In the bag was a firearm, later established as a converted imitation gun, as well as three rounds of ammunition.

Messenger Newspapers: (Image: Greater Manchester Police)(Image: Greater Manchester Police)

Winder was taken into custody and charged with possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.

He was yesterday given a three-year sentence for the firearm offence to run concurrently with a two-year sentence for possession of ammunition.

The extra week in prison is for breaching the conditions of his bail.

Detective Constable Dave Jarvis of Greater Manchester Police said: "Converted imitation firearms are something we are increasingly seeing criminals use and verdicts like this demonstrate that if you are found in possession of such a weapon then you will be punished.

"Winder was unable to evade the attention of responding officers that night who did an excellent job in acting on their suspicions before our police dog ultimately sniffed out the firearm that Winder was trying, and failed, to hide.

"Had Winder not been a juvenile when he was pulled up for this offence then he could have been looking at even longer in jail.

“This is a reminder to anyone out there who thinks it's acceptable to have such firearms because they look like legal imitation guns that it absolutely isn’t and we will ensure that you are taken from the streets."