An Elvis lookalike was caught selling illegal pistols from his home after a police operation, a court heard yesterday.

Michael Shepherd, aged 56, was caught red-handed selling revolver handguns to undercover officers from his house in Dartford, the Old Bailey was told.

Elvis fan Shepherd came to the attention of police when he started advertising guns on the internet.

Two undercover detectives were sent to call at Shepherd's house in Wentworth Drive and Shepherd agreed to sell them pistols, said Mark Gadsden, prosecuting.

Shepherd also allegedly offered to sell the officers a Belgian revolver, a French service revolver, a Smith and Wesson altered to fire Russian military issue .44 bullets and a 'British Bulldog' .32 calibre pistol.

Police seized a cache of around 900 firearms from Shepherd's house on September 13 last year, the court heard.

The haul included illegal weapons including Browning semi-automatic pistols, double-barrelled shotguns, Remington double-barrelled pistols and Wild West-style Colt single-shot guns.

Mr Gadsden said Shepherd was giving his customers the go-ahead to use his weapons to kill lots of people.

"The undercover officer could have been a bank robber, he could have been a murderer, he could have been anybody," he said.

Shepherd, who is registered with Kent Police as a firearms dealer, claims all the guns are antiques.

He insists he only offered them for sale "as a curiosity or ornament" to gun collectors, which would make them legal under section 58 of the Firearms Act.

But prosecutors say he was deliberately supplying weapons to non-collectors.

Shepherd was caught when Operation Trident officers investigating black on black murders recovered a Smith and Wesson revolver from a youth in the Old Kent Road on December 14, 2005.

"It was old but it was in good condition and in working order when it was fired in the laboratory," Mr Gadsden said.

"It has been possible to identify this firearm as having been previously advertised for sale on the defendant's website."

Shepherd is accused of conspiracy to possess firearms with intent to cause fear of violence, eight counts of selling or transferring a prohibited weapon, 12 counts of possessing a prohibited weapon and one count of possessing explosives.

Shepherd denies all 22 charges.

The trial continues.