Today (23 December) at Snaresbrook Crown Court, a 21 year old Hackney student who hid a gun and ammunition in her bedroom was jailed for five years.

Sarah Jones of Windsor Wharf, E9, was found guilty of possession of a firearm, possession of prohibited ammunition and possessing ammunition of a firearm, following a four-day trial. She has been ordered to serve at least two and a half years in prison.

Acting on intelligence, officers from Operation Bantam, Hackney borough’s proactive firearms unit, carried out a search for firearms at Windsor Wharf, E9, on 26 February 2010.

Whilst conducting the search, officers found a revolver inside a suitcase on top of a wardrobe in the student’s bedroom. Ammunition was also found inside a black sock in the suitcase. Jones was subsequently arrested at the Chicken Shed Theatre in Southgate, where she was a student.

DC Gary Williams of Hackney Borough’s proactive firearms unit, 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 Christmas, and the next few years in prison – a tragedy for both her and her family.”

DCI 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.”

Related: Woman held after girl of four is stabbed to death

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