Man who sold gun to drug dealer jailed for weapons collection

Philip Thornton, aged 55, came to attention of police when they searched the property of another man who had been arrested on suspicion of drug supply offences.

It came to light Thornton had sold him a blank firing pistol.

This led officers to search Thornton’s address in Etches Close, Bournemouth, on December 17, 2018, where they found various guns and ammunition on the walls, floor and in holdall bags.

Judge Stephen Climie sentenced the defendant to five years and eight months in prison at Bournemouth Crown Court on October 8.

Thornton previously pleaded guilty to 11 counts of possessing a weapon, one count of selling a firearm to a person who was not a registered firearms dealer, one count of acquiring ammunition for a firearm without a certificate, one count of possessing a prohibited weapon, one count of possession of a knife in a public place and one count of possessing an imitation firearm in a public place.

Prosecuting, Tom Wright said police seized 11 weapons, which were all forward-venting blank firearms, from Thornton’s home.

The guns seized were forward venting blank firearms

Mr Wright said none of the weapons were capable of delivering lethal force in the state they were recovered. However, the prosecutor added that they were “easily convertible” to do so. The various rounds of ammunition found were “operationally live and viable”, the court heard.

Officers also found a steel gas plug from a SA80 assault rifle, which was described as “an integral part of the weapon mechanism”.

As a functioning component of a prohibited automatic weapon, possession of the gas plug carried a minimum five-year prison term.

The court heard Thornton told officers he did not know what the component was.

In police interview, the defendant admitted selling the weapon to the man arrested for drug offences.

“He described himself as a hobbyist and believed everything he held to be legal,” said Mr Wright.

Police seized a haul of guns and ammunition

Thornton had no relevant previous convictions, said the prosecutor.

The defendant was also in court in relation to an incident at Meyrick Park on February 26.

Dog walkers noticed Thornton appearing to be in distress. He had suffered a medical episode.

When they came to assist him, they saw he had a shoulder holster containing an air pistol, as well as a lock knife, before he was taken to hospital.

Mitigating, Kevin Hill said his client was someone who continues to struggle with his mental health, including post-traumatic stress disorder and depression.

Mr Hill said it was “very hard to understand how he falls into these type of offences”.

Judge Climie said: “In my judgement, primarily because of the combination of the number of weapons possessed, the sale of a firearm to someone you knew was involved in drugs and the fact that there after you made yourself in a public place and put yourself in a position of further offences requires the court to impose the minimum term.”

The judge added that he did however see no need to increase the mandatory minimum term having positive references about the defendant and taken into consideration the mitigation put forward by Mr Hill.

It was ordered that the weapons and ammunition seized must be forfeited and destroyed.