A Swindon man who dumped a loaded gun in a neighbour’s garden has been jailed.
Ryan Molloy was one of three men running spotted from a property in Edington Close, Toothill, as police executed a warrant in September 2023.
A firearm was found in a nearby garden, having been dumped by the suspects as they fled. The deadly weapon was recovered for forensic examination.
The 20-year-old, of Stamford Close, Toothill, was arrested when his fingerprints were found on the gun.
At Swindon Crown court on Wednesday (7 August), he was sentenced for possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of ammunition for a firearm without a certificate.
Molloy was given a five-year prison term, which will be served at a Young Offender Institution. The viable firearm and cartridges will now be destroyed.
Detective Constable Anna McCormack said: “A bag containing a firearm was left in a residential garden where anyone could have found it. Such illegal firearms have no place in Swindon and Wiltshire.
“They often end up in the hands of organised criminals, who use them to inflict serious violence and instil fear.
“I am pleased to have removed one from our streets before it was used to fatally or seriously injure someone.”
If you suspect a crime or believe someone is being exploited, call police on 101 or 999 in an emergency. You can also report anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
