Following intelligence received, police officers raided a property in Moss Side, Manchester and recovered a handgun and two shotguns. A man, a teenage boy and three women were subsequently arrested on suspicion of firearms offences.

Fortune Lawson, a 27-year-old gang leader who kidnapped and tortured two men, has been jailed for 25 years. In November 2018, members of Lawson's gang kidnapped a man outside his home in London after he had been seen wearing a Rolex watch. The victim was lured into meeting Lawson before being stabbed and having boiling water poured over him during an eight-hour ordeal. The man was released after arranging for money and the Rolex watch to be handed over. In December 2020, the gang struck again, kidnapping a man in Cardiff, South Wales. Lawson and his gang forced the man to call a friend to arrange the transfer of £50,000 after threatening him with guns, knives and an attack dog, and waterboarding and beating him. The friend alerted police and, after hostage negotiators monitored phone calls, the victim was rescued. During the subsequent investigation, officers seized six knives, five live rounds of ammunition, a handgun, a grenade smoke bomb and a Taser disguised as a mobile phone. Eight other gang members were sentenced to a total of 89 years in prison.

Gareth Parry-Jones, aged 74, has been handed a four-month suspended sentence and ordered to complete fifteen sessions of rehabilitation activity and pay £200 costs after admitting possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. In December 2022, following an argument with a builder working at the block of flats where he lived in Rhyl, Denbighshire, Parry-Jones pointed an air rifle at him. The victim did not know whether or not the gun was real and was concerned he would be hurt. The .22 air rifle will be forfeited and destroyed.

A man was charged with possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence after he allegedly brandished a fake gun outside a hotel in Iffley, Oxfordshire. Click on media link to read full report.

James Maxwell, aged 28, has been jailed for five years after pleading guilty to six charges: purchasing and attempting to acquire a prohibited weapon; committing that offence without holding a firearms certificate; buying and attempting to acquire and possess ammunition; attempting to import a firearm and bullets without lawful authority; possessing a child pornography video and possessing extreme pornographic images involving animals. After Maxwell ordered a Glock 17 handgun and 100 rounds of 9mm ammunition from the US on the dark web, American authorities intercepted the parcel and found the items hidden inside an electronic device. The firearm and ammunition were removed and the parcel was sent on to Maxwell’s home in Leven, Fife. After he took delivery, police officers found Maxwell with the parcel in his bedroom. Maxwell’s computer revealed that he had been researching suicide methods, as well as the Dunblane school mass shooting and school term times. Police also found a sexually explicit video and images of bestiality. The court heard that Maxwell had been suicidal for years; however, on sentencing, the judge said, “… I also note that 100 bullets were bought which would seem to be an excessive number for suicide purposes. This type of ammunition was designed to deform on impact… One hundred rounds of that kind of ammunition used would have been unimaginable. You are a grave risk to public safety.” Maxwell will be placed on the sex offenders register for a period of seven years.

Dean Jefferson, aged 36 and from Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, has been jailed for 30 months for assault and possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. In February 2023, Jefferson asked a friend to drive him around to deliver drugs. During the drive, Jefferson told his friend that he had lost him money and repeatedly held the gun to his head and stomach, saying, "Do you know what this is, do you know what it could do?" Two days later, Jefferson violently assaulted his former partner.

It has emerged that, in January 2023, police officers Tasered and arrested a man in Chesterton, Staffordshire, after he held a knife to his own throat. Click on media link to read full report.

Ryan Wilson, aged 28, has been jailed for two years after pleading guilty to affray, possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and three counts of possessing a weapon in a public place. In November 2022, police officers responded to reports of a violent disturbance in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. CCTV footage revealed Wilson and his brother brandishing knives, while Wilson was also seen with what looked like a gun in his waistband. Officers subsequently recovered knives, hammers and a gas-powered pistol from his home address.

It has emerged that a man allegedly brandished a revolver and threatened a man in Diss, Norfolk in June 2022. He reportedly went on to attack his victim and has since been charged with possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and causing actual bodily harm. The man claims to have acted in self-defence after he was attacked at his home address.

Tony Woolley, aged 62, has been handed a six-month suspended sentence after admitting acquiring explosives without a valid explosives certificate and manufacturing ammunition without approval. In April 2023, after his sister told police that he had been making explosives, officers found primed cartridges, blank cartridges and spent cartridges surrounding Woolley’s workshop in Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands. Seven bottles of black gunpowder were also found in a shed and in his home. The street was closed off and residents were evacuated to allow the items to be safely removed. The court heard that Woolley was involved in Wild West re-enactments and had been making blank ammunition. The Prosecution said that the gunpowder could also have been used in live firearms and Woolley should have had a licence for the acquisition and use of explosives because of their lethal potential.