London plumber who converted blank firing guns into deadly weapons jailed for seven years

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A London plumber who converted blank-firing guns into deadly weapons has been jailed for seven years.

Evan Girdlestone, 48, from Colliers Wood, used an industrial unit in Wimbledon as a production line to create the lethal weapons.

National Crime Agency officers also found a converted gun with two magazines of ammunition hidden under the passenger seat of Girdlestone’s car when he was arrested in Croydon on May 18.

Officers found converted weapons, imitation firearms, 174 rounds of live ammunition, a quantity of spent ammunition and multiple tools used to convert blank firers, when they searched the unit, having first begun investigating in April 2023.

In total Girdlestone had four converted guns and four unconverted blank firers.

Phonebooks were also found attached to a concrete wall at the unit where Girdlestone had test-fired his converted weapons and police discovered messages he had sent about being injured by a ricochet shot.

Girdlestone admitted to four counts of possessing firearms, three counts of possessing ammunition (174 rounds of varying calibres) and three counts of converting blank firearms at a series of hearings at Croydon Crown Court.

He was sentenced to seven years and two months on Friday.

Debbie Palmer-Lawrence, head of the NCA’s Armed Operations Unit, said: “As an armourer, Girdlestone was reckless and a real danger to the public.

“He is now in the right place after excellent work by a variety of NCA teams to build the rock solid case against him. He had no choice but to plead guilty.

“Tackling the criminal use of firearms is a key priority for the NCA and we work with partners at home and abroad to do everything in our power to protect the public.”

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