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Issue:- 31 October 2013

Firearms conspirators jailed for 32 years

4 men who planned to put illegal firearms onto the streets of Scotland are now spending the next 32 years behind bars.

 

William Dempsey, Barry Kelly, Craig Thomson Colquhoun and James Martin Ashdown were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday, 25 October 2013, for their part in a plot to move firearms into Scotland. 

The court heard Police were first alerted to the potential conspiracy on Friday, 17 August 2012, whilst Dempsey was at Carlisle Rail Station.  At the station Dempsey engaged 2 cleaners in conversation and asked them to look after 2 bags he was carrying, as he believed he was being followed.  Demspey left the station and, when he failed to return, the cleaners took the bags to the British Transport Police (BTP) office where the bags were searched and found to contain an Uzi sub-machine gun with silencer, a sawn-off shotgun, a hand gun and a variety of ammunition, together with documentation belonging to Dempsey.

 

 

British Transport Police Officers immediately circulated Demspey's details to colleagues in Cumbria and a full search of Carlisle was carried out.  He was eventually located on a rail viaduct and was subsequently arrested by British Transport Police (BTP). While making enquiries into Dempsey's background, officers discovered he was a serving member of the army, based in Canterbury.  A search at his barracks uncovered a hand gun-shaped crossbow, several metal tipped arrows and large military batteries. A further search of his parents' home in Paisley uncovered a small block of cannabis resin in Demspey's bedroom.

The Battalion duty officer confirmed to BTP that no weapons were missing from the armoury and officers began to suspect that, rather than acting alone, Dempsey was part of a supply chain moving firearms around the country.

Dempsey's mobile phone was subjected to in-depth forensic analysis which revealed messages between Dempsey and Ashdown regarding large cash payments for 'toys'; items believed to be the firearms seized at Carlisle.

Further investigation revealed links to both Colquhoun and Kelly and, on 16 August 2012, Colquhoun was captured on CCTV at the Royal Bank of Scotland, in Paisley, paying £3,500 into Dempsey's account.

Officers subsequently arrested Kelly, Ashdown and Colquhoun and, during the arrests found £20,000 hidden in Kelly's house. Mobile phones were also seized and analysis of these cemented the links between the 4 conspirators. During the investigation, officers discovered Ashdown had supplied the firearms initially.

Detective Chief Inspector Simon Taylor, who led British Transport Police's investigation, said:- "These 4 clearly intended to put illegal firearms on to the streets of Scotland and it is a fair assumption that they would have been used to commit criminal acts or to intimidate people. In uncovering and unravelling the complex conspiracy BTP, in partnership with Kent Police and Police Scotland, have taken this potential threat out of circulation and ensured the conviction of four dangerous men. It is rarely that we see any incidents involving firearms on the railway, but this case clearly shows we are equipped to deal with the threat and any investigation which follows and sends a clear message to the criminal fraternity that weapons have no place on the railway; or in wider society. Police forces will work together to seize weapons and put all offenders before the courts. This year long investigation has provided a stern test for British Transport Police and the Crown Prosecution Service and I would like to thank all who have dedicated countless hours to the initial investigation and in building the strong case which has seen Dempsey, Ashdown, Kelly and Colquhoun convicted for extremely serious offences."
 

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