JAILED: Gun and bullets hidden in paint tins seized from Mansfield's man home
James Norman, 29, of no fixed address, was found guilty of possession of a firearm and ammunition yesterday (Wednesday, July 19) after a trial at Nottingham Crown Court.
Acting on intelligence received, officers carried out a warrant at a property on Foston Close in December.
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Hide AdIn the process of arresting Norman at the scene an officer noticed some blue paint had been transferred onto his hand.
Norman was the only person at the address who the officer had come into contact with.
The address was searched and a paint tin with a loose lid was found in an airing cupboard.
On opening the tin a handgun was discovered, partly submerged in blue paint.
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Hide AdIt matched colour of the paint which had been transferred onto the officer’s hand.
Photos were also taken of Norman’s hands showing blue paint on them.
The firearm was later recovered from the property along with bullets found in a toilet bowl.
The airgun revolver had been converted to fire live ammunition.
Norman was jailed for seven years.
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Hide AdSpeaking after Norman’s sentencing Detective Constable Andrew Brownless said: “We are determined to remove guns and criminals from the streets of Nottinghamshire, and this is a case of us having done both.
“We regularly target those with illegal weapons and we will continue our work to identify, apprehend and bring to justice those who choose to commit gun crime.”