Wigan dad jailed for stashing cache of deadly guns

A Wigan dad has been jailed for six and a half years after admitting to having a cache of deadly firearms.
Ahmed YusufAhmed Yusuf
Ahmed Yusuf

Ahmed Yusuf was sentenced at Bolton Crown Court after pleading guilty to possessing both a Glock self-loading pistol and a single-bore, 12-gauge shotgun plus a shotgun cartridge.

In an exclusive interview with the Wigan Post, the brother of the 38-year-old from Belmont Road, Hindley, today said that the reason he had the weaponry was because it was a hobby to buy live arms and then deactivate them.

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But he said his brother realised he had done wrong and “taken his punishment on the chin.”

Officers found a stash of deadly weapons including an automatic GlockOfficers found a stash of deadly weapons including an automatic Glock
Officers found a stash of deadly weapons including an automatic Glock

There was nothing to suggest during the court proceedings that the hoard was terrorist-related and father of three Yusuf was charged under the Firearms Act of 1968.

The Bolton hearing was told that the weapons were seized on March 27 when officers from Greater Manchester Police’s Xcalibre Team in company with Specialist Operations officers attended the defendant’s home for the purpose of searching the address under a Section 46 firearms warrant.

Police had earlier been tipped off that Yusuf, who lived alone, had dangerous weapons with him.

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Originally Yusuf had been accused of possessing an imitation Glock when he appeared before Wigan and Leigh magistrates in March, but that charge was amended to possession of a prohibited firearm, meaning that it was real.

Ahmed YusufAhmed Yusuf
Ahmed Yusuf

He had also faced a charge of possessing a fake AK47 assault rifle, but the court was told that that was not on the indictment because it was in fact a real weapon which had been decommissioned.

As far as the shotgun and cartridge were concerned, Yusuf was prosecuted because he did not have a firearm certificate for either of them.

The weapon was described as a full-length, single-barrel, 12 gauge shotgun.

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Asked why Yusuf had the illegal arms, his brother Abe said: “He was just a bit of a collector; it was a hobby. He would get the guns and then decommission them. That’s what he did with the AK47.

“I have no idea where he was getting them from though.

“He knows he has done wrong. When the police came knocking, he handed himself over and he has now taken his punishment on the chin.

“I am still in regular contact with him and helping to look after his kids. He is still my brother.”