A man has been convicted of making a gun with a 3D printer, in what is believed to be legal first in the UK.
Tendai Muswere, 26, manufactured the components of a homemade weapon “capable of firing a lethal shot,” the Metropolitan Police said.
The student, of Tachbrook Street in Pimlico, central London, pleaded guilty to manufacturing a firearm at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday.
He was arrested after police executed a drugs warrant at his home in October 2017 and found the parts of the 3D-printed gun during a search.
Muswere, who does not hold a gun licence, told officers he was printing the firearm for a “dystopian” university film project and claimed not to be aware it was capable of firing.
He later refused to comment on what his film project was about.
A search of Muswere's internet search history revealed he had watched videos demonstrating how to use a 3D printer to manufacture guns which fired live ammunition.
A second raid of his home in February 2018 led to the discovery of further components of another 3D printed gun.
Acting Detective Sergeant Jonathan Roberts, who led the investigation, said: “We know that Muswere was planning to line the printed firearms with steel tubes in order to make a barrel capable of firing.
“This conviction, which I believe is the first of its kind relating to the use of a 3D printer to produce a firearm, has prevented a viable gun from getting into the hand of criminals."
Police also found cannabis plants and evidence of cannabis cultivation at Muswere's home.
He will be sentenced on 9 August.
