A man who sold a stolen gun was yesterday sentenced to 19 months behind bars while his friend, the recipient of the weapon, was also sentenced to a month in jail.

In proceedings yesterday, Anton Vassallo, 35, of Marsascala, admitted to selling the pistol without a licence on Wednesday, failing to notify the authorities of the gun, handling stolen property and relapsing.

His friend, Lorenzo Callus, 45, from Birżebbuġa, who purchased the gun admitted to conspiring to commit a crime. Magistrate Claire Stafrace Zammit took into consideration their full cooperation with the police during the investigations before sentencing Mr Vassallo to 19 months in jail and Mr Callus to one month.

Both men signed an immediate appeal and were granted bail against a guarantee of €8,000 each until the appeal is decided.