Royal Marine reservist jailed over arms sales

A Royal Marine reservist has been jailed for a string of firearms offences, including stockpiling stolen guns and ammunition to sell on the black market.

Martin Shannon, 43, from Hythe, near Southampton, used his training to steal and bury the weapons.

He was caught after selling ammunition, grenades and other munitions to an undercover officer for £10,000.

He was jailed for 14 years and six months.

In a hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday 14 October, Shannon admitted selling a prohibited weapon, possessing a shortened shotgun, possessing seven high explosive grenades and purchasing 1,400 rounds of ammunition.

Shannon, who was based at RM Poole naval base in Dorset and had been a reservist for 20 years, became the subject of a covert operation after intelligence suggested he had been stockpiling weapons.

In September 2016 he met an undercover officer in the Chieveley area of Newbury in Berkshire who was posing as someone interested in buying weapons.

Shannon offered to sell the officer guns, grenades and ammunition for £10,000.

He was subsequently arrested in Winnall, near Winchester, after being tracked by armed officers in an operation coordinated by the National Crime Agency.

A search of his home found hundreds of rounds of ammunition and stick explosives.

Shannon later led officers to a spot near a railway line where he had buried a bolt-action shotgun.

The court heard Shannon served in Iraq in 2003 and Afghanistan in 2006 and had seen "traumatic events beyond most people's comprehension".

A consultant psychiatrist said Shannon had been suffering from undiagnosed post-traumatic stress disorder since 2003.

Judge Richard Marks QC told Shannon he had committed a "very serious breach of trust" and had stolen "hugely dangerous weaponry".

They included C8 assault rifle used by military forces around the world and a Sig Sauer handgun also commonly used by law enforcement and armed forces.

Mark Webster of the National Crime Agency said Shannon was not thought to be working as part of an organised crime group.

"I want to reassure the public that where people have access to firearms and intend to use them for criminal activities, we will work with our partners to ensure they are stopped and held accountable for their actions."

Jo Jakymec of the Crown Prosecution Service said: "Martin Shannon took hand grenades and ammunition from his army base in gross breach of trust.

"He sold some of the cache and two further automatic weapons to an undercover officer with no regard to what that individual may then do with them."