A MACHINE gun and air revolvers were among the weapons found at a Herefordshire man's home during a visit by police

Simon Cox pleaded guilty to two counts of possessing a firearm without a certificate when he appeared before magistrates in Hereford.

Police had visited Cox's mother's home to carry out a welfare check on January 30 as she had recently been assaulted by her son, who had been living with her, prosecutor Ralph Robyns Landricombe said.

But during their visit they came across weapons including bayonets and a Brocock air revolver.

Officers again visited her home on February 19, when Cox's mother handed over other weapons she had found in the house, including a machine gun and ammunition and a second Brocock revolver.

In interview, Cox told officers that he collected weapons and memorabilia and had bought the machine gun, which had been deactivated, at a shop in Leominster in 2018.

He said he had never fired any of his firearms, that he was not aware that the ammunition could be live, and that he had bought the pair of Brocock revolvers 20 years previously after seeing an advert in a magazine and did not know he now needed a certificate for them.

George Cousins, for Cox, said several items had been found at the house the 50-year-old had been sharing with his mother.

"None of them needed a firearms certificate except these two, which were bought over 20 years ago by him and his father.

"At the time, no certificate was needed to buy them, but the law has since changed and they are now a prohibited weapon. He did not then apply for that certificate as he was unaware.

Cox, of Hopbine Cottages, Roman Road, was fined £183 and ordered to pay costs of £185 and a £34 victim surcharge. The two guns were ordered to be forfeited and destroyed.