A man has been jailed after a pair of handguns, magazines of ammunition and a silencer were found in his house in Gedling.
Police officers made the shocking discovery after being called to a fire at a property in Shearing Hill.
Homeowner Jason Spence wasn’t in at the time of the blaze, which was ruled an accident by fire investigators.
When a large cannabis grow was immediately discovered within the house, police conducted further searches.
These extended to outside, where officers came across a green holdall bag hidden in a loft space inside the garage.
A handgun and a self-loading pistol were inside it, along with multiple rounds of ammunition and a sound moderator.
The firearms were checked over by experts and confirmed to be viable.
Police seized the bag’s contents, while the 109 cannabis plants and growing equipment inside the address were removed too.
The house searches on 11 January this year quickly established that the property belonged to Jason Spence.
He was nowhere to be seen but was found and arrested days later in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
The 54-year-old was charged with two counts of possessing a firearm less than 30cm in length and four counts of possessing ammunition for a firearm.
He was additionally charged with possessing a firearm without a certificate – in relation to the silencer – and producing cannabis.
Having pleaded guilty to all the counts, Spence, of Shearing Hill, Gedling, attended Nottingham Crown Court to be sentenced on Monday (September 8).
He was sentenced to ten years and eight months behind bars.
Detective Inspector Julian Eminson-Ferry, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“It can’t be stressed enough how dangerous Jason Spence’s decision to have and store these items in his home was.
“Both the firearms discovered in his garage were viable and therefore deadly weapons.
“If that wasn’t bad enough, he compounded this danger further still by holding four sets of different ammunition and a silencer in the same bag.
“Whatever his motivations were for having this haul of weapons, he put others around him at risk of harm with his actions and deserves the prison sentence he’s received.
“It really shouldn’t need to be explained why having a viable firearm in your possession is such a serious offence.
“There is never an excuse for anyone to become involved in gun crime and anyone who does so should expect to face a lengthy spell behind bars.”
