But Stephen Herbert said he was delighted to receive only six years for selling 574 guns to criminals.

As he was being led out of the dock at the Old Bailey, Herbert told Judge David Paget: "That's lovely. Thanks very much - we got away with that."

Herbert, 45, and his partner Gary Beard, 47, had faced up to 10 years in jail.

Both pleaded guilty to conspiracies to manufacture prohibited weapons, sell them and cause fear of violence with them.

Herbert and Beard bought hundreds of replicas guns, blank-firing pistols and airguns legitimately, converted them into lethal weapons and then sold them to criminals.

The Old Bailey also heard that they supplied hollow-tipped ammunition, better known as "dum dum bullets", which are designed to expand on impact causing devastating injuries.