A GUN enthusiast accused of selling working machine guns to Irish criminals at first told police he was only dealing in furniture, a court heard.

Robert Naylor, 48, tried to deny giving lethal weapons to a friend by claiming he had sold cars, settees and a three-piece suite.

But he was caught taking £4,000 from James Moloney, 45, for a machine gun and two pistols by a police undercover operation in August last year, a jury at the Old Bailey heard.

The arms were allegedly converted in a garden shed in Morecambe by fellow gun-club member James Greenwood, 57.

Detectives found a text message in Naylor's phone from Molo-ney which read: If furniture landing this weekend need to know for Friday to have money.' Naylor denied this referred to guns in his first police interview, said junior prosecutor Simon Denison.

Reading extracts from inter-views, he said: "Naylor said this referred to furniture he had sold to Jimmy. They were a settee and chairs and also a car. He said he did not know Jimmy's sur-name or address."

In a later interview he admitted he had been to Moloney's home but added he had sold the Irishman eight or nine cars, leather settees and a van'.

"He said the text referred to suites and tables he was going to pick up. He denied it had anything to do with guns," said Mr Denison.

But in another interview Naylor finally admitted the text message referred to guns.

"He said it had been Jimmy's idea to refer to the guns as furniture," said Mr Denison.

Naylor then admitted they could be used to kill people but added: "I didn't think about it, I thought he was a gun collector."

He denied selling a re-activated Uzi 9mm submachine gun, which was later found hidden in a hotel in Edenderry, Ireland.

Mr Denison added: "He said he only every owned one Uzi and his wife bought it. He said he sold it to Moloney deactivated."

Naylor also denied knowing or speaking to Benjamin Wilson, 35, who is accused of storing weapons for Moloney.

Moloney, who lives in a mobile home, off Napier Road, Bradford, has pleaded guilty to a series of charges.

Naylor, of Westminster Road, Morecambe, and Greenwood, both deny two counts of manuf-acturing a Sterling 9mm sub-machine gun between July 2002 and August 2003, and two counts of possessing the guns with intent to endanger life.

Greenwood, of Westgate Ave-nue, Morecambe, also denies manufacturing a CZ model 9mm self-loading pistol.

Naylor also denies seven counts of possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life between July 2002 and August 2003.

The weapons are a Sterling submachine gun, a Star semi-automatic, two Uzi 9mm, a Vigneron submachine gun, an FBP submachine gun and a Madsen M50.

Naylor and Wilson further deny possessing a Webley .45mm gun, a Ruger and a Mark II Sten gun with intent to endanger life.

Wilson, of Carleton Street, Morecambe, also denies three counts of possessing prohibited weapons, a Webley .45, a Ruger and a Sten Mark II.

He further denies possessing .22 hollow point ammunition, 14 rounds of .45 ammunition with-out a certificate and possessing a silencer on the same date.

The trial continues.