A man has been jailed for purchasing a semi-automatic gun on the dark web.

Peter Black had previously pleased guilty to a charge of attempting to acquire a firearm.

The Glock 19 semi-automatic weapon was seized after it had been posted from the United States, concealed inside a household item, to a property in Portsmouth.

The 39-year-old, of Waterhouse Lane, Southampton, was jailed at Winchester Crown Court for three years.

He was arrested on 4 April by officers from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit, who examined his devices to establish he had made the purchase.

Det Insp Graham Curtis said Black was a “potentially dangerous individual”.

“There is absolutely no excuse for purchasing a weapon of this kind, and by using the dark web it is clear that Black was entirely aware that his actions were illegal.”