Men jailed over illegal weapons trade

THREE men have been given jail sentences totalling more than 10 years following a police investigation into trading in illegal weapons on the internet.

Officers involved in the inquiry raided the home of 40-year old Robert Watts in Lees in May, 2013, after discovering his activities on a website dealing in both new and used replica weapons.

Manchester Crown Court was told two guns seized at his Honey Hill address — gas-powered, blank-firing pistols - could be used to fire steel bearings with potentially lethal effect.

Watts admitted advertising guns on the internet, two of which he sold to his co-accused, Laurence Golesworthy and Matthew Ashton.

Adrian Farrow prosecuting, said police found a 9mm blank-firing pistol at Golesworthy’s home that had been converted to fire live ammunition, plus an apparently home-made pistol and two more weapons capable of firing projectiles. They recovered two stun guns and a CS gas canister and a pistol bought from Watts at Ashton’s home.

Nicholas Doherty, for Watts said his client believed the guns were within the law, and had himself bought replicas from a Spanish website on the same understanding.

The court was told that 26-year old Golesworthy of Hay on Wye, Powys, believed the guns were blank-firing pistols and had bought them openly. He hadn’t carried out any conversion work, he claimed.

David Farley, for 37-year old Ashton, said his client had no “sinister motive” for buying them and one had been used to scare rats away from a caravan park.

Golesworthy who pleaded guilty to two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon, was jailed for five years on each, the sentences to run together. Ashton, of Formby Road, Salford, pleaded guilty to three counts of possession of an offensive weapon and possession of Class A drugs and was jailed for a total of four and a half years.

Watts pleaded guilty to two counts of sale of a prohibited weapon and one of possession and was given an eight month sentence suspended for two years, plus 70 hours of unpaid work.

Judge Driver told him: “I accept there was a degree of naivety in your case. It was also unclear whether the weapons were legal or not at the time.”