Man jailed for running ammunition factory

Guilty: Chris Pearson

A 54-year-old man who ran an illegal ammunition factory has today been jailed for three years and two months. (Thursday 11 June 2009).

Officers investigating Christopher Pearson, 54, found thousands of rounds of ammunition after raiding his house on Edenfield Road, Rochdale.

Pearson pleaded guilty at Manchester Crown Court Crown Square to one offence of manufacturing prohibited ammunition, the possession of ammunition without a certificate and three counts of possessing ammunition without the authority of the Secretary of State.

He was arrested when officers from Greater Manchester Police's Armed Crime Unit carried out a series of warrants on 1 February 2007, following a 12-month intelligence-led operation into the purchasing of firearms and ammunition.

When officers raided Pearson's terraced house, they discovered the loft had been converted into a work room, complete with tools for making bullets.

Officers also discovered Pearson rented a storage unit in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, which they searched and found sealed lead boxes and open lead boxes of complete rounds of ammunition and lead ingots.

The total number of bullets found was more than 13,000 and the total of further rounds of ammunition found was more than 8,000.

Pearson had an intense interest in firearms and in 2002, was convicted of possessing a handgun. He was also convicted in 2004 of possessing unlicensed ammunition.

Detective Sergeant Nick Edge, of Greater Manchester Police's Armed Crime Unit, said: "What drove Pearson to become involved in manufacturing bullets is beyond comprehension, especially given the fact he's been prosecuted before.

"He clearly has a chilling obsession with ammunition.

"However, this was a significant recovery every bullet recovered represents the removal of a potential threat to someone's life.

"This was a long drawn-out investigation and today's sentence is the result of the hard work many officers put in to try and bring Pearson to justice. It is another example of work GMP does to try and rid our streets of firearms.

"I would like to take this opportunity to urge anyone who has any information about the supply and sale of guns or ammunition to come forward and speak to police in confidence."