A man jailed for possessing a cache of banned weapons is quitting Britain for a new life in Canada in disgust at the way he has been treated.

Andrew Gomm, who intends to leave the UK

Former Cub Scout leader Andrew Gomm was sentenced to a year behind bars in October for possessing an array of banned weapons, which were discovered when police searched his home in Moody Road, Marston, Oxford, on October 9, 2001. It was his first offence.

The cache included 40 guns, including some capable of firing rubber balls, an electronic stun gun, old-fashioned revolvers, samurai swords and knives.

Mr Gomm was released on good behaviour after three months in Bullingdon Prison, near Bicester.

He was electronically tagged and told to be at his home in the evenings as part of a curfew.

His licence from prison expires on April 16 and he is looking forward to joining his fiancee Michelle Senacal in Canada.

They plan to marry within three months and Mr Gomm intends to emigrate.

The couple met in May 2001 over the Internet and she agreed to marry him on her first visit to the UK.

Mr Gomm, who was in the Territorial Army for two years, maintains he was simply a collector and that the police had been "over the top".

However, detectives felt the weapons were a danger and were concerned about how easily Mr Gomm had got hold of them using the Internet.

Mr Gomm condemned Britain's gun laws -- claiming they were draconian and the level of gun crime showed they were not working.

He said: "I have had enough of this country with its Mickey Mouse rules. I have never done anything wrong in my life before. I would never hurt of maim anyone -- and the judge sentenced me to a year in prison.

"Michelle has been through the case with me and said that it was a nonsense -- if you have a firearm without a licence in Canada you get a fine."