A man was jailed for five years at Luton Crown Court today after admitting to possessing a handgun.
Mali James, 20, of Wedgewood Road in Luton, pleaded guilty to possession of a prohibited weapon, a firearm without a certificate and criminal property (£2990 in cash).
He was arrested in October 2013 by Beds Police as part of Operation Boson, an investigation into gun crime.
In sentencing the defendant, His Honour Judge Farrell said: “If you applied any common sense you knew full well you were assisting someone to look after an extremely dangerous weapon. It is a very grave crime and must be dealt with accordingly. In my judgement there are no exceptional circumstances here, with your willingness to look after such a weapon and the number of firearms offences that have taken place in this town recently.”
Assistant Chief Constable Nigel Trippett said the sentence is a testament to the force’s commitment to reducing gun-related crime.
He said: “The level of criminality we experienced last year will not be tolerated and since Operation Boson was set up to target those involved in gun crime 110 people have been arrested and 19 firearms have been recovered from the streets of Luton.
“It is vital that we continue to work with the communities of Luton and our partners to rid Luton of this threat and we believe that the sentenced passed today will send a clear message to anyone involved in this dangerous criminal world. If you know someone who is involved in gun crime please come forward and speak to the police.”
If you have any information relating to gun crime in Luton, you can contact Bedfordshire Police, in confidence,
on 101, or text information to 07786 200011. Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.