TWO friends who bought stun guns over the internet as a joke have been given suspended prison sentences.

Mark Johnson, 49, from Colne Drive in Sutton and Neil Twist, 42, from O'Sullivan Crescent in Blackbrook were both sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court.

Both had pleaded guilty to importing the stun guns which were disguised as torches.

They had selected the weapons on a foreign website while sat in the pub last February and had intended using them to shock their pals on a camping trip.

The weapons were discovered by immigration officers who discovered packages coming from the Netherlands. At first they appeared to be flashlights valued at £10. However once they were x-rayed they were found to be two stun guns.

Merseyside Police were contacted and both men were interviewed. Both admitted to buying the stun guns and though it would have been funny to shock their friends.

Both men were sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for two years.

They will both be tagged for six months and given a supervision order for nine months. Johnson and Twist must each pay £100 victim surcharge and were told to pay prosecution costs of £340. The stun guns must also be handed over to the authorities.