Mystery still surrounds why a scaffolder hid a loaded gun in his loft for his own protection.

Daniel Young was sentenced to six years in prison on Friday, November 25, after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing to possession of a weapon.

Kingston Crown Court heard claims he bought the Browning 9mm self-loading pistol and live ammunition “locally”, days before his arrest on August 19.

Armed police swooped on his house in Woodview, Malden Rushett, terrifying residents of the small cul-de-sac.

Young’s defence counsel told the court the 35-year-old father of two could have avoided conviction if he had kept quiet during the raid and “bluffed it out”.

Instead Young told officers he had a gun stashed in his loft and when they failed to find it, he gave them more detailed instructions.

He told officers: “It is for my protection. People are after me. They think I owe them £80,000.”

Defence counsel James Scobie said: “He could have bluffed it out and hoped officers wouldn’t have found it.”

He said the reason Young was in fear of his life was based on “a misunderstanding”.

He added: “He understood people on the street took the view he owed them £80,000.

“That was a nonsense and he wasn’t owing anybody that amount of money.”

Young, of Masons Place, Mitcham, was sentenced to six years in prison for possessing the gun and 18 months for possession of ammunition, to serve concurrently.

Sentencing Judge Price said: “You say to police you got them for your own protection as people unspecified were after you for an alleged debt of £80,000.

“That is far from an exceptional circumstance."