Two men have been found guilty of firearms offences.
Both Joseph Steele, 34, of Brewery Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Shera Virk, 24, of Golf Lane, Leamington Spa, were convicted of three counts of possession of a firearm and one charge of possession of ammunition.
On 30th March 2023, the pair travelled from Warwickshire to Sheffield to obtain firearms.
After securing the firearms, the pair were stopped in Nottinghamshire in a stolen vehicle.
The men were found to be in possession of three firearms that had been converted from blank-firing into viable firearms.
On Friday (22nd November), Steele and Virk were found guilty of all charges following a three-week trial at Sheffield Crown Court. Both were remanded into custody and will be sentenced at a later date.
As part of the investigation into the illegal conversion of blank-firing weapons and ammunition into viable firearms and ammunition, four men have previously been convicted and also await sentencing.
Zakaria West, 29, of Tythe Barn Way, Sheffield, pleaded guilty to conspiring to sell or transfer prohibited weapons and conspiring to manufacture, sell, or transfer ammunition.
Arron Ward, 30, of Smelter Wood Crescent, Sheffield, was found guilty of the same offences following a trial in October 2024. At the same trial, Danny Milner, of Gresley Walk, Sheffield, was also found guilty of conspiring to sell or transfer prohibited weapons.
Andrew Loton, 35, of Bramshill Close, Sheffield, also pleaded guilty to conspiring to sell or transfer prohibited weapons and conspiring to manufacture, sell, or transfer ammunition at an earlier hearing.
