A South Derbyshire man, who terrifyingly pointed a silver gun at a motorist in a road rage incident, was found to have made explosives including a lethal nail bomb.

Jailing Andrew Gosling, of Ley Croft, Hatton, for four and a half years, a judge told him: "Your behaviour in committing these offences was warped and serious. It caused fear and the deployment of armed police and an army bomb disposal team."

It was also revealed Gosling lied during his police interview, claiming he had terminal cancer.

Andrew Gosling from Hatton

A court heard that after police were called following the road rage incident in West Kirby, Wirral, Merseyside, they searched his car. They found the loaded gas-powered pistol, a glass jar containing pellets and a home-made improvised explosive device (IED).

That contained pyrotechnic powder and 226 metal tacks. Sentencing him Judge Alan Conrad, QC, said it was "clearly an item capable of causing serious injury".

Gosling, 52, was staying at the home of his ex-partner and when armed police went to the flat in Leigh Road, West Kirby, they found a home-made gun, that was so dangerous it was never test fired as it could have injured whoever fired it, and another improvised explosive device, the court was told.

A loaded gas-powered pistol was also discovered

Iain Criddle, prosecuting, said the two IEDs and the gun were destroyed on the nearby beach by the army bomb disposal team using a robot.

Judge Conrad told Gosling, who was using a stick to walk: "These are very serious matters particularly in today's climate where the use of firearms is prevalent and where the Court of Appeal has said the courts must take a serious approach to such offences.

"We live in a time where the public are put in fear by explosions and where, here, the valuable resources of the army and armed police had to be deployed."

Judge Conrad said that Gosling had threatened motorist Fraser Karlsen with the pistol "terrifying him" and causing armed police to be called to the scene.

Gosling pleaded guilty to six offences; two offences of making explosives, two of possessing explosives, possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and attempting to manufacture a prohibited firearm.

Mr Criddle told Liverpool Crown Court that the offences came to light on the afternoon of September 27, last year, when Mr Karlsen was driving along Sandy Lane, in West Kirby.

He saw a Ford Focus driving slowly ahead of him and it pulled in by some cones at a building site where Mr Karlsen was going to begin work as a surveyor, blocking his way.

This home made improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered in Gosling's car

Words were exchanged and the driver's door opened slowly. Gosling got out with a smirk on his face and in his right hand he had a silver pistol and pointed it towards the windscreen.

He then walked towards Mr Karlsen, who stayed in his car, and got to about seven feet away and pointed the weapon towards the driver’s window.

Mr Criddle said: "Mr Karlsen stated that when the gun was pointed at him he was shocked at first and could not move initially."

He then mounted the kerb and drove off to Victoria Drive where he called the police. He then drove back to the scene and followed the Focus to Black Horse Hill where he met armed police officers.

Officers followed the Focus to Leigh Road and stopped it and Gosling, whose ex-partner was in the car, approached them empty handed. He showed them where the gun, which he described as an air gun, was in a silver tool box which also contained two gas cartridges and a glass jar continuing about 78 pellets.

In the driver’s side pocket the improvised nail bomb was found, with a lid glued on and a fuse attached. The area was then cordoned off.

Gosling was arrested and he admitted there was another IED at his ex-partner’s flat in Leigh Road where he was staying and this was found along with an improvised gun and ammunition.

When interviewed Gosling, who has no previous convictions, lied falsely claiming that he had terminal cancer.

Gosling also had a glass jar containing pellets

Gosling, who comes from a farming family in Derbyshire, told police that he had made the devices some years earlier and had intended to throw them down rat holes on the family farm. The court heard however that he had little interest in farming and his father did not use such items to control rats.

He had the items in the car as he had intended disposing of them in a marina but instead they stopped to eat fish and chips.

Gosling said the incident with Mr Karlsen "put the fear of God in him" and he got out and pointed the gun at him, and then drove off.

Paul Davison, defending, said that said that the gun was not loaded and there was no firing pin in the second gun.

He said: "He did not go out with the intention of pointing the gun at anyone. What his real intention was we may never know."

A psychiatric examination has shown he is "of sound mind" said Mr Davison.