A GUNMAN has been jailed for more than five years after a chance encounter with police led to the recovery of a handgun.
Sami Sharif, 33, was spotted by an officer near to the Nauls Mill Underpass in Coventry on January 15 this year.
The officer knew he was wanted for a robbery and arrested him, finding a small amount of cannabis on his person.
When police searched Sharif’s home in Terry Road for property stolen in the robbery, officers found a gun hidden in a shoe on top of a wardrobe.
In interview, he claimed that he found the gun in a park and thought it was a toy.
Forensic experts identified it as a parlour pistol, which would have historically been used for indoor target practice.
They can fire low-powered but lethal ammunition, and so are illegal under UK law.
Sharif was found guilty at Coventry Crown Court of possession of a firearm, and was jailed for five years and six months.
A West Midlands Police spokesperson said: “We’re committed to tackling gun crime under Operation Target, which is our ongoing mission to tackle those involved in firearms, drugs, money laundering, and exploitation.”
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