A man has been jailed for five years after children found a live firearm while they played.
Ali Abdughari-Abud, 22, was linked to the weapon after police searched his phone and found a video of the revolver-style gun, Northumbria Police said.
Officers had been told about a group of youngsters aged between nine and 11 who had found a firearm while playing in the Byker area of Newcastle in May 2023.
The force said no-one was injured in the incident.
An investigation was launched and Abdughari-Abud’s phone revealed a video showing at least one firearm lying on a cloth before the camera turns to his face.
Testing showed the gun, which contained ammunition when the children found it, was viable.
The defendant, from Copland Terrace, Shieldfield, Newcastle, was charged with firearms offences and appeared at Newcastle Crown Court where he admitted possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition without a certificate, police said.
He was sentenced on December 20 to five years in prison, the force said.
Detective Sergeant David Wylam, of Northumbria Police, said: “This was an excellent piece of teamwork from our officers which has seen a dangerous offender put behind bars and undoubtedly made the community safer.
“We were able to collate information on Abdughari-Abud and identify the video on his phone as showing the firearm which the children had found in Byker.
“He is now rightly beginning a sentencing in prison for his crimes.”
The detective added: “It is extremely fortunate that the firearm did not cause any serious damage in the hands of children, considering it contained live ammunition.”