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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Son jailed after father's tip-off | Son jailed after father's tip-off |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| A teenager has been jailed for three years after his father told police he had found bullets in his son's bedroom. | A teenager has been jailed for three years after his father told police he had found bullets in his son's bedroom. |
| His father discovered 11 bullets in the room and called the police - who also found a handgun under the bed. | His father discovered 11 bullets in the room and called the police - who also found a handgun under the bed. |
| Paul Metcalfe, 19, from Nelson in Lancashire, pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon and the ammunition at Burnley Crown Court. | Paul Metcalfe, 19, from Nelson in Lancashire, pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon and the ammunition at Burnley Crown Court. |
| His father Neil Metcalfe, 43, said he had "no regrets" about his decision to call the police. | His father Neil Metcalfe, 43, said he had "no regrets" about his decision to call the police. |
| 'Bagged and sealed' | 'Bagged and sealed' |
| "I would think for longer, knowing what I know now. I only found ammo - I didn't know the weapon was there and I didn't know he was facing five years. | |
| "Of course there's guilt that he will be locked up for so long and I feel sorry for him." | "Of course there's guilt that he will be locked up for so long and I feel sorry for him." |
| Neil Metcalfe says he is disappointed by the sentence | Neil Metcalfe says he is disappointed by the sentence |
| His son said he was "minding" the bullets and gun for criminals whom he refused to name. | |
| Mr Metcalfe said the sentence was unfair. | |
| "The judge has said three years - I was hoping for two. | "The judge has said three years - I was hoping for two. |
| "He hadn't even touched the gun - the police said that before. It was bagged and sealed. | "He hadn't even touched the gun - the police said that before. It was bagged and sealed. |
| "He did not go down the street threatening anyone with a gun. He had no intention of using it and should have only got about 18 months - people get less for GBH." | |
| The minimum sentence for possession of a firearm is five years in prison. | |
| The judge took into account the fact his father informed police - the defence argued a longer sentence might otherwise deter other public-spirited parents. | |
| Sentencing Metcalfe, Judge Christopher Cornwall said: "The grim reality is that the pistol you were looking after was capable of firing live rounds. | |
| "Your intention was to return this lethal weapon to dangerous men who were intent on using the gun to achieve their criminal aims." | |
| Revenge fear | Revenge fear |
| Mr Metcalfe said were he to do it again he would have accompanied his son down to the police station - something the judge might have given him more credit for. | |
| The police said they felt a "balanced decision" had been reached saying there were exceptional circumstances in the case. | |
| The semi-automatic gun was originally a blank-firing weapon which had been converted to fire live rounds. | |
| Detectives still do not know where the gun came from and said they were striving to find out. | |
| Neil Metcalfe backed his son's decision not to tell officers where he had got the gun, because of possible reprisals which would "turn his three-year sentence into a life sentence". |