Waterlooville man Paul Lynam jailed for leading gun factory gang which converted blank firearms to live weapons
A gang leader who called himself “Mr Nobody” was plotting to convert blank firearms into working pistols - and has been jailed for more than 16 years.
Paul Lynam, previously of Hannah Gardens, Waterlooville, was a senior member of an organised crime group which was plotting to use “gun factories” to get more than 150 illegal firearms on the streets.
The 45-year-old has been jailed at Portsmouth Crown Court for 16 years and six months after an investigation by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit.
Lynam appeared at that court on March 6 last year where he admitted two counts of conspiracy to sell or transfer prohibited weapons, two counts of conspiracy to sell or transfer ammunition and money laundering.
Having fled abroad when the gang was uncovered by detectives, he was captured on August 2, 2024 in Barcelona and extradited, arriving back in the UK on November 6 that year.
He appeared in court on November 13 ,2024 where he was charged in connection with the offences. Serocu says that the offences relate to two periods during which a total of 153 Top Venting Blank Firearms (TVBFs), which had been converted into live pistols, were seized from the addresses involved in the two conspiracies along with hundreds of rounds of converted ammunition.
Five other members of the organised crime group pleaded guilty to their roles in the conspiracies and have previously been sentenced at court hearings.
These included Damon Denham, then aged 36, of Common Road, Slough, who was sentenced to 13 years and one month imprisonment at a hearing at Reading Crown Court on 1 March 2024. Two other men were also sentenced at this hearing - Chad Blackwell, then 34, of Hensworth Road, Ashford, Surrey who was sentenced to 11 years and three months’ imprisonment and Daniel Boyd, then 42, of Talbot Place, Datchet, was given eight years and three months.
All three men pleaded guilty at previous hearings to, conspiracy to sell/transfer prohibited weapons and conspiracy to sell/transfer prohibited ammunition. Boyd also pleaded guilty to having an offensive weapon.
On October 11, 2023, Serocu officers had executed warrants in Ash Lane, Windsor, and Talbot Place, Datchet. Inside the properties, officers recovered 83 prohibited handguns. Testing of a selection of these confirmed they were Top Venting Blank Firearms which had been converted into viable prohibited firearms. There was also a “large amount” of ammunition, including some that had been converted into viable ammunition.
Across both properties, officers found parts of firearms such as slides, magazines, pistol receivers and cleaning kits. Within Talbot Place, tools such as a lathe, which are believed to have been used to convert the weapons, were discovered.
On June 7, 2024, at Portsmouth Crown Court two other men were sentenced. Perry Binns, then 37, of Westerham Close, Cosham was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment, having previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to sell/transfer firearms, one count of conspiracy to sell/transfer ammunition and one count of possession with intent to supply heroin.
Steve Jones, then 46, of Fratton Road, Portsmouth was sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment after admitting one count of conspiracy to sell/transfer firearms, one count of conspiracy to sell/transfer ammunition, one count of manufacturing firearms and one count of manufacturing ammunition.
On February 22, 2024, warrants were carried out in Westerham Close, Cosham, and Mays Yard industrial estate, Horndean. At Westerham Close, officers found 70 firearms and over 600 rounds of ammunition that had been hidden in suitcases. Testing confirmed that they were blank firearms which had been converted into viable prohibited firearms. The ammunition had also been converted from blank rounds.
At the industrial unit in Mays Yard, officers seized ammunition in various stages of conversion along with tools and equipment used to convert ammunition and firearms.
The police investigation uncovered Lynam played a controlling role, communicating with the others via a communications app, using pseudonyms including Efraim Diveroli, Mr Nobody and Pol Pots.
He provided postcodes and passwords for deliveries and requested stock checks Serocu officers also found evidence of cash being transferred to Lynam.
Senior investigating officer Det Chief Insp Clair Trueman said: “Lynam’s role in leading an organised crime group, which converted blank firearms into live pistols at various locations, posed a lethal threat our communities across the south east.
“He, along with Denham, Blackwell, Boyd, Binns and Jones, showed complete disregard for the danger these weapons presented. Their only consideration was profiting from others’ misery when undoubtedly, the weapons would have been used for criminal activities.
“The significant sentence Lynam received reflects the seriousness of his offending and concludes a highly complex and international investigation led by the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit. We continue to make every effort to tackle the threat of firearms and disrupt serious and organised crime in our communities and beyond.”
Two other men, Perry Phillips, aged 55, of Crimp Hill, Old Windsor, and Gary Worthington, aged 44, of William Ellis Close, Old Windsor, previously pleaded guilty to assisting an organised crime group. They are due to be sentenced at Reading Crown Court on 8 May.