A Bolton-born computer geek has been jailed for attempting to buy deadly ricin poison from the dark web.

Software programmer Mohammed Ali, aged 31, was found guilty last month of attempting to possess a chemical weapon between January 10 and February 12.

He told the jury he had been inspired by the hit US television series Breaking Bad. 

He has been sentenced to eight years in prison, at The Old Bailey in London. 

Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Mole, of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit (NWCTU), said: "Ali attempted to buy a deadly poison and we can only speculate on what he planned to use it for but, in any case such as this, we take swift and decisive action.

"Thanks to the vigilance of officers from a number of different law enforcement agencies, we were able to intervene before this man did get hold of such a deadly substance from a genuine seller.

"I want to reassure our communities that the North West Counter Terrorism Unit and local police are well aware of the potential dangers associated with internet activity on the 'dark web'.

"Law enforcement agencies use a range of investigative techniques to monitor and police unlawful internet activity."

Under the username Weirdos 0000, Ali struck a deal with a supplier on the internet black market to buy 500mg of powder for 500 US dollars (£320) - enough to kill 1,400 people.

Ali was unaware that his source Psychochem was in fact an FBI agent who tipped off police in England and substituted the consignment of ricin for harmless powder.

After the father of two took delivery of a toy car with five vials hidden in the battery compartment, police swooped to arrest him at his home in Prescot Road, Liverpool.

Under ultraviolet light, Ali's face lit up showing that he had handled the package which had been specially treated with a marker substance.

Computer analysis showed that Ali first began trawling the internet for information on poisons such as abrin, ricin and cyanide in October last year.

The court heard Ali approached the undercover agent in January with a private message: "Hi, would you be able to make me some ricin and send it to the UK?"

In a series of encrypted chats they discussed the price of a lethal dose, discounts for bulk orders and repeat purchases, and ricin's "shelf life", jurors were told.

At one point Ali, of Prescot Road, Liverpool, asked: "How do I test this ricin?" and received the instruction: "You must test it on a rodent."

Records showed that on February 4 - days before the delivery - he made a payment of 2.1849 Bitcoins, the online currency.

Around this time, Ali had made a to-do list on his computer which included the entries "paid ricin guy" and "get pet to murder", the court heard.

He had also made a series of internet searches for chinchillas, animal rescue centres, rabbits and "pocket-sized pets".

In his defence, Ali told jurors that he was just "curious" and wanted to test the boundaries of the Dark Web, unaware that ricin was illegal.

He said: "I found lots of different items ranging from drugs, guns, other illegal items, and because I had been watching Breaking Bad TV show I just had ricin in my mind."

Anyone with concerns is urged to contact police on 999 in an emergency, or 101, or contact the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.