A man was linked to the discovery of a Skorpion submachine gun years after he was found slumped in the driver's seat of his car on a beach while high on cocaine and with music "blaring" from his speakers.
Police seized the potentially deadly firearm from a Tupperware box stashed inside the airing cupboard of a house on Netherby Street in Dingle alongside a hand grenade, which saw the bomb squad carry out a controlled explosion in a park and nearby homes evacuated. Ross Smith was subsequently connected to the find after his bizarre previous arrest the best part of a decade earlier, which saw detectives follow a trail of clues before establishing that the gun had been fired at a North Wales beauty spot.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this week that the working Skorpion and live grenade were recovered from the unoccupied address on September 19 last year alongside a quantity of ammunition. The 44-year-old's DNA was found on the gun, the explosive device and a loaded magazine.
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But Steven Ball, prosecuting, described how Smith was further connected to the firearm "by virtue of a police investigation in 2016", which saw a number of spent bullet casings found on a beach in Anglesey after the weapon had been fired. He said: "It is now apparent that they were discharged from the submachine gun found six years later in Liverpool."
The court was told that the bounty of prohibited items were found in the bathroom airing cupboard inside a plastic Tupperware container, which was wrapped in a pillow case. The grenade was placed inside a separate box inside the case, which also contained a firearm cleaning kit, latex gloves and items of PPE.
Army bomb disposal experts were called in to assist officers and safely remove the explosive, which was taken to Otterspool Park under a police escort. This saw a hole dug in the ground, before it was "disposed of by way of a demolition".
The M75 fragmentation hand grenade was said to have been in a "good condition" prior to this. It was believed to have originated from one of the former Yugoslavian countries and contained 3,000 steel balls, with a "lethal range" of five metres and a "casualty range" of 15.
The Skorpion, manufactured in Czechoslovakia in 1965, was later successfully test fired and found to be in "full working order". It was discovered alongside 122 viable rounds of ammunition, and a further 27 which were not in a viable condition.
Smith's DNA was found on a swab taken from the end of the barrel, muzzle and foresight. He was also forensically linked to the grenade and ammunition.
Mr Ball stated that his "last two sets of convictions in 2010 and 2016 demonstrated his connection to the trade of class A drugs". Smith was previously jailed for seven years at Mold Crown Court in December 2016 for possession of a firearm, possession of criminal property and possession of class A drugs.
This came after he was stopped by police at Penrhos Beach in Anglesey on December 11 2015. His flat on Bakers Court in Holyhead was then searched, with £2,095 in cash, an extendable baton and a quantity of heroin being seized.
Smith was later released on bail but arrested again on April 15 2016. A further search of his address revealed another £1,872, envelopes with "a variety of class A drugs" inside and a set of electronic scales which contained traces of heroin and cocaine – as well as caffeine and paracetamol, common cutting agents.
He was then bailed once more, but at around 8pm on May 19 2016, officers found him "slumped in the driver's seat" of a Skoda car on Penrhos Beach. The engine was still running at this time, with "music blaring out of the speakers".
Smith was described as being in a "disorientated" state and tested positive for having cocaine in his system. A laptop with a dongle inserted into it was found on the dashboard of the vehicle, with a rucksack inside the car having contained a camera.
Meanwhile, a BBQ box in the boot which had been opened and resealed contained a handgun wrapped in tin foil. PCs also found 24.1g of heroin and £1,030 in cash.
The laptop was said to have contained "concerning" pictures which had been taken on a beach, subsequently identified as one in an area known locally as Snake Island. A search of this scene revealed three fired cartridge casings, which were said to have been discharged from the Skorpion recovered eight years later, and some unused ammunition casings.
The same computer also contained Google searches from May 14 2016 for terms such as "how to disassemble a live M75 grenade" and "how to dismantle a live M75 grenade". Mr Ball said this "must have been referring to the grenade that was seized in Netherby Street".
Smith told the police at this time that he had "been given the BBQ box a few hours earlier by people who he was in debt to" and was "told to await further instructions". He said that this gang operated out of the Holyhead area and described them as "top of the rung", and admitted that he knew the box contained a weapon.
Smith, of no fixed address but from North Wales, admitted possession of an explosive substance for an unlawful purpose, possession of a prohibited weapon, and possession of ammunition without a certificate. He was jailed for 14 years and three months by Judge Brian Cummings KC.
Paul Cox, the occupant of the address on Netherby Street, was previously locked up for five years in May after pleading guilty to the firearms and ammunition offences. He was cleared of the charge relating the the grenade after a trial.
The 59-year-old, described as a "loner with a serious drink problem", was said to have been the "custodian of the weapon". Cox's DNA was found on the gun, but not the frag.
He stated in interview that he had found the items in an "alleyway round by me". The defendant later told a jury that he "had been asked to mind the items by men who he had met in a pub", then "looked in the box some days later" and saw the gun and ammunition.
Cox was said to have had a "torrid time" while in custody, having broken his neck after falling off a bunk bed. Detective Chief Inspector McVeigh, of Merseyside Police's firearms investigation team, said following Smith's sentencing on Thursday: "Following a raid at the property on Netherby Street, we seized a significant haul of dangerous weapons, including a Skorpion submachine gun, together with five fully loaded magazines, a hand grenade and various other rounds of loose ammunition.
"This region has all too recently seen the devastation that these types of weapons can cause. Thankfully, this firearm is now off the streets and Ross Smith will spend a significant period of time in custody.
"We are committed to removing guns, knives and all dangerous weapons from our streets and putting the people who carry them before the courts. We have also carried out regular stop searches, warrants and open land searches to locate weapons and ensure those who store, carry and use them are brought to justice.
"It is vital that members of our communities come forward with information so we can make our communities safer for the decent, law-abiding people who live in areas affected by gun crime. If you have any information about anyone carrying or using a dangerous weapon in your area please don’t hesitate to contact us."
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