A man collapsed in the dock while being sentenced for illegally having electronic stun guns at his Shoebury home.

John Hamilton, 42, of Cedar Court, was being sentenced at Basildon Crown Court on four charges of possessing illegal Tasers and also possessing ammunition designed to contain noxious liquid or gas.

He has admitted to all five charges at an earlier hearing.

Judge Samantha Leigh was in the middle of handing down an 18-month jail sentence, suspended for two years, when Hamilton collapsed on the floor, complaining his lips had gone numb.

After a few minutes he had recovered sufficiently for the judge to outline the conditions of his sentence, including a twoyear supervision order, 150 hours of unpaid work and 30 days of basic skills assessment.

Earlier, the court was told police had visited and searched Hamilton 's home on November 8 last year in connection with a different matter.

They had found Tasers hidden in a mattress and another in a jacket pocket in his bedroom.

They also discovered a live cartridge.

The court was told not all the weapons were in working condition. Hamilton’s lawyer, Richard Potts, said: “There was quite a selection of weapons of various sorts, not resulting in any criminal offences but police did locate a number of Tasers.”

Sentencing, Judge Leigh, told Hamilton: “Two of the Tasers were not in working order and two of them were. It was clear they were hidden in your address.

“There is no suggestion they were taken out and used. They were part of a collection in your flat.”

The judge ordered the destruction of the illegal weapons.