Man's lethal 'gun factory' run from grandparents' garage, jury told

BLANK-FIRING WEAPONS CONVERTED TO KILL

- By MARTIN NAYLOR

A NOTTINGHAM man ran a “gun factory” from his grandparents’ garage, a trial has heard.

The discovery of the operation led to an evacuation of the area for people’s safety, an incident covered by the Post at the time.

Daniel Wren illegally converted the previously harmless handguns which only fired blanks into weapons capable of killing from the garage in Ashworth Close, Bakersfield, a jury was told.

Others on trial then became involved in selling and moving them into the hands of criminals, Nottingham Crown Court heard.

After one of the group was arrested and taken into custody, another, who was under surveillance by undercover detectives, unwittingly led them to a park in Leeds where one of the weapons was hidden.

Five people are on trial for the roles they allegedly played in the conspiracy.

Sean Bates, Kerrigan Wright, Quisar Iqbal, Ellie Hall and Nicholas Lawson all deny the charges and two others, Wren and Caleb Masiyiwa, have admitted their involvement.

Prosecutor Jane Osborne KC, opening the trial, said: “This case is about, in essence, a gun factory, but not the sort that makes licensed and legal firearms, for use by those with a reason and a purpose, but an illegal gun conversion workshop.

“An illegal gun conversion workshop that was operating out of a garage, connected to one of those people who was involved in it, where blank firing pistols, that had their barrels obstructed so they couldn’t discharge any lethal ammunition, were being converted into lethal weapons capable of discharging ammunition with lethal force.

“Why were they being so converted?

“The prosecution says there is only one reason that those viable weapons, together with modified, but lethal, ammunition could be sold onwards.

“Undoubtedly the purpose of the sale was to make money, but in the process, those involved were providing others, undoubtedly criminals, with the means to cause serious harm, and even kill.