A man has been arrested after posting pictures of himself wielding a gun on social networking site Bebo . The man had photographed himself wearing a black balaclava waving a pistol in the air, and posted it online for all his friends to see.

But Dean Lissenden, 23, from Oxford, overestimated the loyalty of his Bebo contacts as one person anonymously forwarded the links to the photos on to the police.

The next day, a shocked Lissenden watched in horror as armed police knocked down his front door to seize the handgun and arrest him.

Oxford Crown Court yesterday heard Lissenden admit to possession of a firearm. He was also in breach of his parole licence after being released early from jail in August last year, the prosecution stated.

Guilty verdict

Recorder Joanna Greenberg said, "It shows a fascination with violence. Some people find it attractive to pose in a way which appears to be aggressive and violent."

Lissenden, of Kynaston Road, Didcot, was given a 12-month suspended sentence and ordered to carry out 18 hours of unpaid community work.

It just goes to show the kind of trouble that these social networking sites can get you into. Although some might say that if you post pictures of yourself waving a gun around on the internet, you almost deserve to be arrested.