A loaded gun was ditched in an alleyway after men fled from police in Bristol. The weapon was a 9mm Parabellum self-loading pistol, which is banned due to it’s barrel length and because it’s self-loading.
Zachariah Talbert Young, 26, of Carlyle Road, Easton, Bristol, and Paul Elijah Hayden, 21, of Reade Close, Hanham, have been jailed after being convicted of possessing a prohibited firearm following a trial at Bristol Crown Court. They were sentenced to five-and-a-half years and five years, respectively.
Avon and Somerset Police received multiple calls on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, after people were seen armed with a gun and a knife in Easton. A man called 999 at about 9.45pm and described meeting a group of people earlier that he thought had a gun.
Officers rushed to the area and carried out an immediate search. Three men fled the scene and one ran down an alleyway off Chaplin Road.
Police then found a bag containing a handgun in the alleyway, near to an electricity substation, at around 11pm. It was loaded with four rounds of ammunition and had been made ready to fire.
Forensic tests of the weapon recovered DNA of both Hayden and Talbert Young from the grip. Talbert Young’s DNA was also found on the working parts of the gun as well as on the bag it was found in.
Detectives carried out 22 months of detailed enquiries, including trawling CCTV and examining mobile phone data, to prove that both men were in the Easton area that night and in possession of the gun. They were found guilty by a jury on Friday, September 13.
Sentencing, the Recorder, Mr Tom Brown KC, said he took into account Hayden’s age at the time – he was 18 – and lack of previous convictions. He added that both men will serve half their sentences before being released on licence.
Avon and Somerset Police said: “The gun was examined and found to be a 9mm Parabellum self-loading pistol. It is a prohibited weapon both because it has a barrel length of less than 30cm and a total length of less than 60cm and because it is self-loading. This means it would be unlawful to possess in it any circumstances.”
Detective Inspector Jason Chidgey led the investigation and added: “Thankfully gun crime is a rarity in the UK. It’s all the more shocking that two young men were able to get hold of a banned weapon like this. Hayden was 18 and Talbert Young 23 at the time.
“Bristol is a safer place with this weapon and these people off our streets.”