Wiltshire man Lennox Blackwood jailed after stashing gun and bullets in shoebox left with Christchurch woman

A MAN who stashed a gun and bullets in a shoebox which was given to a Christchurch woman has been jailed for six years.

Lennox Blackwood (47), of Bulford in Wiltshire, was found guilty of firearms offences after a trial at Bournemouth Crown Court.

The court heard Blackwood had gone to the home of the woman, whom he knew, on the morning of 3rd December 2023.

He gave her a shoebox containing a pair of trainers, asking she look after them for him because they were valuable.

But, after he left, she decided to look in the box and found a bag containing two socks inside one of the trainers.

The firearm, a short-barrelled revolver, was inside one of them, with ammunition in the other.

The woman alerted police who seized the items.

Blackwood was found and arrested at his home in Wiltshire in the early hours of the following morning.

He was put behind bars at the crown court on Tuesday after being convicted of possessing a prohibited firearm and possessing ammunition without a certificate.

Welcoming the outcome, DC 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.”