Dopey Doncaster burglar who claimed he found stolen guns jailed for raid

Gavin Smedley claimed he had stumbled on the weapons in the car park of the shop – but police arrived and discovered a hole cut in the roof of the premises.

On 17 March, an intruder alarm was activated at the business and within two minutes of the alarm being sounded, an officer was on the scene and found Smedley with three firearms.

When confronted by the officer, the 37-year-old dropped the weapons and was arrested.

In a police interview, Smedley claimed he had been walking through the car park of the store when he saw the guns, which happened to be on the ground, and he picked them up.

However, the hole which had been the cut in the premises’ roof, as well as a wood saw which was recovered near to the scene, suggested otherwise.

Faced with the overwhelming amount of evidence against him, Smedley had no choice but to plead guilty to one charge of burglary and three counts of possessing a firearm without a certificate.

On Thursday 5 September at Sheffield Crown Court, Smedley, of Old Hexthorpe, was sentenced to one year and ten months in prison.

Arresting officer Response Constable Luke O’Donnell said: “We know the terror and pain gun crime causes within our local communities.

“The damage Smedley could have caused if he had been successful in stealing these guns cannot be understated.

"The use and illegal possession of these weapons is something we won’t tolerate here in South Yorkshire, and we are committed to targeting individuals linked to firearms offences.

“Anyone who is concerned or worried about gun crime or the use of firearms in their area should contact us on 101. Always dial 999 in an emergency, when a life is at risk or if a crime is in progress.”

You can also report information about gun crime to UK independent charity CrimeStoppers through their dedicated UK call centre on 0800 555 111 where you can leave information in confidence.