THE former licensee of a Kendal pub told police he was given a sawn-off double-barr-elled shotgun to help retrieve £80,000 he had lost in a scam, a court heard.

Adrian Crompton, 50, who ran the Kendal Arms at the time, said he had lost the money to some Asian men who convinced him to remor-tgage his home and invest the cash with them.

When he found out he had been conned, another victim of the same scam brought the gun so he could confront the men and get the money back, he said.

Crompton’s story of how he came to have the gun at his home in Milnthorpe Road, Kendal, was told at Carlisle Crown Court when he app-eared to be sentenced.

But Judge Peter Hughes QC said he was so ‘troubled’ by his explanation that he adj-ourned the hearing until May 11 to give the prosec-ution time to corroborate it.

Crompton pleaded guilty to possessing the gun without a licence and having it in a pu-blic place.

He was remanded on bail on condition he lives at an address in Thornton Cleveleys, Lancashire, and reports to police twice a week.

Prosecutor Alan Lovett said Crompton was arrested on January 13 when police, acting on an anonymous tip-off, found the gun and four cartridges at his home.

He told them that another victim of the scam had brought it to his pub in May last year, but ‘the idea of challenging the Asians with it was quickly shelved’, Mr Lovett said. Even so, he kept the gun at the pub before taking it home.

Defence counsel Karl Berry said Crompton had not invited the man to bring the gun. Judge Hughes pointed out there was nothing to support Crompton’s story.

“It raises more questions than it answers,” he said.

Mr Berry then said Crom-pton had in fact been ‘helping the CID’ for some time, a claim that the judge wanted to be investigated before the next hearing.

The police will also be investigating whether the gun should be classified as a prohibited weapon since it had been shortened to 15 inches.

If so, Crompton could be facing a mandatory five year term.