A young drama student’s future lies in tatters after a specialist police firearms squad raided her home, seizing a revolver and bullets from a suitcase on top of her wardrobe.
Sarah Louise Jones, 21, of Windsor Wharf, Homerton, East London was sentenced to five years imprisonment after being convicted by a Snaresbrook Crown Court jury of possessing a firearm and ammunition.
Police from Operation Bantam, Hackney Borough’s proactive firearm unit – acting on a tip-off - executed a search warrant for firearms at on February 26, last year.
Jones was arrested shortly afterwards at the Chickenshed Theatre, Southgate, North London where she studied.
Detective Constable Gary Williams of Operation Bantam said: “This conviction sends out a clear message about the grave consequences of storing guns for others.
“Those who do this are not only committing a crime, but they are helping others commit theirs.
“Sarah Jones had never been in trouble with the police before, but by agreeing to hide a lethal firearm for somebody else, she was partly responsible for any crimes committed with that weapon.
“She now has to spend the next few years in prison - a tragedy for both her and her family.”
Detective Chief Inspector Gary Bruce of Hackney Police, said: “Gun crime in Hackney has fallen by nearly 35% this year, and this is largely due to the volume of firearms my officers are recovering from the borough’s streets and homes.
“No matter who you are, if you are caught with a firearm you will face a prison sentence. Claiming 'it’s not your gun’ is no defence.”
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