Glamour Girl's Gas Gun Shame

An actress and model caught with a loaded gun when police suddenly raided the suburban home she shares with her fiancé dodged prison today, but sobbed as her drug-dealing partner was sent down.

Blonde Suzy Deakin, 33, who has an online portfolio of glamorous shots and appeared in Brit horror flick The Stone, had a lethal Russian-made tear gas gun converted to fire live rounds.

She pleaded guilty at Croydon Crown Court to unlawfully possessing the firearm, plus five rounds of live ammunition, and was sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment, suspended for two years.

Deakin, of Cheam Close, Tadworth, Surrey was arrested on May 13, 2009 with 40 year-old Graeme Dean, who received five years.

He was convicted of possessing the firearm with intent; possessing 2.6 gms of cocaine and 89.7 gms of GHB, with intent to supply; possessing cannabis and veterinary drug ketamine - dubbed by users as Special-K.

Police armed with a search warrant found the firearm stuffed inside a sock, which was wrapped in a black bin liner and inside a computer bag placed at the bottom of a spare bedroom cupboard.

Deakin tried to convince a jury her fiancé - a partner in bar/club Indigo, Seaside Road, Eastbourne at the time of the arrests - knew nothing about the gun, but this was rejected.

"A loaded gun is worse than an unloaded gun," Judge Tim Stow QC told the defendants, both first-time offenders.

"Possession of a loaded firearm is regarded extremely seriously by parliament and the courts. It gives the potential for serious injury and death.

"This was potentially a very serious weapon. It would not have taken that long to get hold of if someone wanted to use it."

The judge told Dean: "It is a possibility you supplied the odd customer at the club."

Deakin also pleaded guilty to possessing cocaine and received a one month concurrent sentence and no further penalty for admitting possessing a small amount of cannabis.