A MAN hid a gun and bullets in a shoebox and gave them to an unsuspecting woman to look after.  

Lennox Blackwood, 47 and of Bulford, was found guilty of firearm offences after a woman found the weapon in a shoebox.

It was reported that on December 3, 2023, the defendant attended the address of a woman he knew in Christchurch and gave her a shoebox containing a pair of trainers.

He asked if she would look after them because they were worth a lot of money.

However, after Blackwood left the address, the woman looked inside the box and found a bag containing two socks within one of the trainers.

She found a short-barrelled revolver and bullets concealed in the socks.

After calling the police the firearm and ammunition was seized, with Blackwood being arrested the following morning at his home in Wiltshire.

The defendant was convicted after a trial by jury at Bournemouth Crown Court of possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a certificate.

On July 30 he was sentenced to six years in prison.

Detective constable Cameron Carter, of BCP CID, said: “We take all offences involving firearms extremely seriously and we responded swiftly to this report to ensure this viable firearm was removed from our streets and the man responsible was identified.

“I want to thank the witness for reporting this matter to us and for her support throughout the investigation.

“We would continue to urge anyone with information regarding the location or possession of firearms to please report it to us immediately.”