Police discover hidden sawn-off shot gun in Halifax house as they investigated attack
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Officers went to the home of Kevin Brooke last July after a report that he had assaulted a self-employed builder with a pool cue during a confrontation on his doorstep.
During the exchange Brooke told the complainant: ”You know what you’re going to get. You know what I have in the house.”
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Hide AdThe Recorder of Bradford Judge Richard Mansell QC said Brooke had been referring to the sawn-off shotgun which was later found by police, but he stressed that the defendant had not gone inside to fetch the weapon or produced it during the assault.
Bradford Crown Court heard that the builder suffered deep bruising to his left arm which had put up to protect himself as Brooke struck out at him with the pool cue.
Brooke, of Gibraltar Road, Halifax, admitted offences of assault and possession of a prohibited weapon as well as a further charge of possessing ammunition without a certificate in relation to a number shotgun cartridges which were found by police.
“A sawn-off shotgun can only have one purpose namely the commission of serious crime. Either armed robbery or worse still murder,” said Judge Mansell QC.
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Hide AdThe judge said Brooke had asserted that he was storing the weapon for someone else due to a drugs debt and there was no evidence that the shotgun had been used by anyone in any previous crime.
Judge Mansell sentenced Brooke to the minimum prescribed sentence of five years in jail for the possession of the prohibited firearm with an additional nine months for the assault offence.
He also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the sawn-off shotgun, the cartridges and the pool cue.
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