Three gangsters who bought a gun and intended to use it against a rival in the criminal underworld have had their sentences increased.
Jacob Smith, 22, Craig Walker, 40, and Ian Wharmby, 30, have had their sentences overturned by the Court of Appeal after being reviewed under the Unduly Lenient Sentencing scheme. The trio were initially jailed at Manchester Crown Court in March after Smith tried to get hold of the Glock pistol to avenge an attack on a family friend.
Smith had initially asked Walker if he could get the 'thing', the court heard, before Wharmby was then contacted with a view to handing over the Glock. However, this never came to be because police seized the firearm.
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The weapon had previously been used in two gangland shootings where Aaron Gray, 26, opened fire at a taxi office in Eccles before shooting at a house in Whitefield two months later. He was jailed for 14-years in March.
No-one was hurt in either incident but a judge said they'd been carried out to send a 'powerful message'. Police said the crimes came after 'petty disputes' between rival criminals, and that gangsters were 'terrorising' innocent members of the public caught up in their feuds.
The gun was seized at Wharmby's home in Radcliffe in April 2020. The gun was wrapped in a sock and housed in an Asda carrier bag.
During the search officers also found mobile devices that linked the gun to the three gang members. They used the EncroChat system in an attempt to hide their criminality.
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In March Smith, of no fixed abode, was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in jail possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life. Walker, of Warrington Road, Wigan, received six years for possession of a firearm and ammunition with intent to endanger life. Wharmby, of no fixed abode, was jailed for three years possession of a firearm with intent to cause fear, also pleading guilty to possession with intent to supply cocaine, heroin, and cannabis.
However, their sentences have now all been increased. Smith will now serve eight years and six months, Walker eight years, and Wharmby five years and four months.
The Solicitor General Michael Tomlinson KC MP said following this: "It is a serious crime to purchase a firearm and thankfully no-one was hurt before it could be used. The courts have rightfully recognised the severity of Smith, Walker and Wharmby’s actions, and this should serve as a strong warning that firearm offences will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
