A dad's secret stash of guns and drugs was unearthed after his girlfriend called the police.
Joseph Bassey bundled the pistol and revolver, which he was storing inside his home, into his car in a blind panic after his assault on his then partner led to her dialling 999. But his efforts to conceal the evidence were thwarted when officers checked CCTV footage.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this week that the 39-year-old assaulted his victim Rachel Howard shortly before 1pm on May 27 last year. Bassey was said to have subjected her to a "single slap" during the course of an argument, causing her minor injuries.
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The incident saw the complainant call the police to their home on Hale Gate Road in Widnes. Upon learning that officers were on their way round, the defendant took a black handgun, a loaded revolver, ammunition and shotgun cartridges which were being kept in the house and moved them into his white Skoda Superb.
Bassey then drove vehicle "around the corner" in an attempt to hide these weapons from the police. But PCs subsequently reviewed CCTV footage which had been captured by cameras at the property and located the vehicle, discovering the firearms.
Cheshire Police also seized a total of 2.5kg of ecstasy, 4kg of ketamine, 1.5kg of amphetamine and 150g of 2C-B – drugs worth in the region of £60,000 – as well as a "significant" quantity of cash. Also found in the house were a tablet press, a money counting machine and body armour.
Zarreen Alam-Cheatham, prosecuting, read a statement out to the court on Ms Howard's behalf in which she described how she had been left struggling to eat for a month as well as difficulties sleeping. She also suffers from anxiety and flashbacks to the attack, which she said had "turned her life upside" – although she now "finally feels free".
Bassey has two previous convictions for two offences, theft and failing to surrender to custody, in 2017 as well as a caution for assault occasioning actual bodily harm dating back to 2011. The father-of-two claimed he had been acting "out of fear" after coming under threat, with Charlotte Atherton, defending, telling the court: "It is not as if he was someone using those firearms or who had any intention of using those firearms."
She added of the assault: "It was a relatively short lived incident. It was a single slap and a relatively minor injury.
"Your honour might consider that this was out of character. She says he has never struck her before.
"He has managed to reach a fairly substantial age with a very limited antecedent history. This is a man who had worked throughout his entire adult life, and for him offending – never mind serious offending – clearly was out of character.
"It has wrecked his life. He clearly had a terribly traumatic past, which has had a significant impact upon his mental health.
"That had led to drug abuse, and it had at times affected his ability to function. He was vulnerable as a result of this.
"This is, of course, his first time in custody and is likely to be measured in many years. It is particularly difficult for somebody who has never been in custody in his life and has limited experience of the criminal justice system.
"He has, in court, a supportive partner and his grandmother and there is hope for the future. What I ask is that your honour passes a sentence that allows him that hope and the hope of release and rehabilitation in the not too distant future."
Bassey admitted two counts of possession of a firearm and ammunition in a public place, two counts of possession of a prohibited weapon, possession of ecstasy, 2C-B, ketamine and amphetamine with intent to supply and assault occasioning actual bodily harm. Appearing in court via video link on Wednesday, he was jailed for eight years and three months.
Sentencing, Judge Charlotte Crangle said: "When you became aware that the police had been called, you were making desperate phone calls and sought to remove items which were being stored in your property. They included a significant amount of class A drugs and guns and ammunition.
"There were also significant amounts of class B drugs. These were all within your property where your young son and step daughter were living alongside you and your partner.
"There was also a significant amount of cash recovered. You did not have time to move everything but you moved the most important items into your vehicle, which you moved around the corner in the hope that the police would not be able to recover those items.
"Unfortunately for you, officers noticed on CCTV the car that you had jumped into and which was driven away. They managed to located that car and all of those items.
"I was not satisfied by your account that you were doing this out of fear because you were being threatened. You were obviously somebody who was trusted enough to be responsible for storing all of those important and significant items of considerable value.
"It is clear to me that you had some awareness of the operation and there was some advantage to be gained by you, whether financial or in relation to writing off debts in storing these items. Not being on the radar of the police made you the kind of person to be a safe storage place.
"Guns and drugs are only too prevalent in this city, blighting the lives of many in the community. Guns are so often connected to an linked with the supply of drugs.
"Those drugs cause untold misery. Those who deal them and assist in the process care not for this misery.
"Lethal firearms are used to settle scores, very often with innocent people caught in the crossfire. These offences have devastating impacts on the community."
Bassey was also given a restraining order banning him from contacting Ms Howard and her children or attending their homes indefinitely. He will be brought back before the court for a hearing under the Proceeds of Crime Act hearing in May.
Detective Inspector Lee Connor, who led Cheshire Police's investigation into the incident, said: "Bassey is an extremely dangerous individual who thought that he was above the law. He tried to cover his tracks in fear of getting caught, but thankfully our officers were one step ahead.
"The destruction that these weapons are likely to have caused is immeasurable, and they have absolutely no place here in Cheshire. Not only that, but a large quantity of class A drugs has also been removed from our town and the man responsible has been put behind bars.
"I hope that the sentence handed down by the courts acts as a reminder to those who, like Bassey, feel they too are above the law. We will always be one step ahead and you will face the same fate.
"I also hope this result provides some reassurance to the community that criminals such as this have no place in Widnes, and anyone with any concerns relating to drugs or firearms should contact Cheshire Police immediately."
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