Man jailed for illegal gun deal

AN Oldham man who was involved in an illegal arms deal has been sentenced to six years and eight months in prison.

Robert Marshall (26), of Penwell Fold, Royton, pleaded guilty to selling or transferring an illegal firearm and possession of ammunition.

Philip Stephenson (32), of Wimpole Street, Derker, and Wayne Catterall, of Swallow Drive, Bury, face the same charges.

Surveillance

Catterall was jailed for eight years and Stephenson will be sentenced on March 18.

The deal was busted after a surveillance operation by undercover police.

Officers targeted Stephenson and Marshall and moved in after a handgun and five live rounds of ammunition were picked up by a taxi driver hired to act as a courier.

Police stopped the Toyota Hiace mini-bus in Chadderton as 31-year old Ibrar Ahmed was driving home to Bolton from Oldham where he had collected the weapon.

They recovered £2,300 in banknotes in an envelope on the first search of the vehicle, then later found the Czech-made self-loading pistol and a clip of bullets hidden in a yellow cloth inside a white plastic bag, tucked behind a rear seat.

Marshall was the seller of the pistol and ammunition and Stephenson hid them in the back of the mini-bus.

Ahmed pleaded not guilty but was jailed for five years following a four-day trial at Manchester’s Minshull Street Crown Court.