Boy, 9, discovers loaded gun in garden leading police straight to dangerous drug dealer

Craig Reilly, 34, had antecedently managed to dodge situation with cause offences. But 1 twelvemonth later, a kid recovered his firearm successful his family's plot and they alerted the police

A cause trader has been jailed aft a kid spotted a discarded weapon successful his family's garden.

Craig Reilly, 34, from Birkenhead, hurled the loaded firearm onto the backmost tract of the household location successful Liverpool on October 5, past year. The young boy, aged nine, picked up the limb and handed it to his nan, who reported it to Merseyside Police.

Police identified the weapon arsenic a Belgian exemplary firing 25 ACP ammunition and said Reilly's DNA was located connected its receiver and slider. The limb had a slug successful its barrel, and different slug was recovered successful its mag (the instrumentality that feeds ammunition into a repeating firearm). Speaking astir the discovery, authoritative Paul Blasbery said: "That pistol was successfully test-fired, which confirmed the viability of the firearm, and confirmed its individuality arsenic a self-loading pistol."

His latest offence comes a twelvemonth aft helium had been arrested connected July 7 2023, 2 months aft constabulary raided his spot and recovered 36 packages of heroin and 33 packages of ace cocaine with a thoroughfare worth of up to £1,050. Officers besides recovered 723 counterfeit slope notes stashed successful the dad-of-two's bedroom, reports Liverpool Echo.

He was interviewed and provided "no comment", and was released nether investigation. But past his sanction was flagged again by police pursuing the DNA tracing of the gun.

Reilly, who has 38 erstwhile convictions for 65 offences, pleaded blameworthy to possession of a prohibited firearm and ammunition, possession with intent to proviso people A drugs, and having custody of counterfeit notes. He appeared successful tribunal connected crutches, arsenic his defence, Daniel Travers, explained: "In September past year, successful drink, helium fell from a 2nd level balcony successful this country, having an open-point fracture and breaks successful his near leg."

He added that Reilly continued to endure from mediocre mobility arsenic a effect of his injuries. Speaking successful mitigation, helium said: "The suspect himself is appalled and has nightmares astir the information that a kid recovered the firearm, and he's instructed to maine that his interaction with that firearm is historic. But helium afloat accepts and understands that it's an appalling information that a kid was holding a firearm that could person been fired."

He said Reilly's mitigation was "limited", but added: "His spouse speaks of different broadside to Reilly, however helium was an progressive stepfather to her daughter, and precise overmuch to her disappointment was successful custody when their lad was born. His archetypal child, a son, was calved precise soon aft helium went into custody. Reilly knows however severely helium has fto them down."

Sentencing Reilly, Judge Denis Watson, said: "The firearms offence is aggravated by the information there's matching ammunition with the gun, successful the consciousness determination was 1 bullet successful the enclosure and 1 successful the magazine. I carnivore successful caput you're not said to beryllium the proprietor of this (gun), but you had possession of it.

"Your possession, I'm told, is historic, but it indispensable person been precise hands-on for you to permission your DNA preserved successful the interior receiver and the slider."

He sentenced Reilly to 5 years connected the firearms charges, and a further 2 years and 3 months for possession with intent to supply, totalling 7 years and 3 months down bars. A 9 period condemnation for having custody of counterfeit notes volition tally concurrently to his drugs sentence.