Rotherham man jailed for 12 years for illegal firearms offences

Richard Riley who was sentenced to 12 years in prison. Image: South Yorkshire Police

A MAN who threw a “loaded and viable” pistol into his neighbour's garden as police arrested him at his Rotherham home has been jailed.

Richard Riley (49) was found guilty of eight firearms offences at Sheffield Crown Court on Tuesday last week and sentenced to 12 years on Thursday (September 21.)

He was found guilty of four counts of possession of a prohibited firearms weapon, two counts of possession of a firearm when prohibited, one offence of possessing ammunition without a firearms certificate and one count of possessing ammunition when prohibited.

Six converted blank-firing self-loading pistols were recovered along with 72 rounds of ammunition from a container in the Beighton area of Sheffield in September 2022, with Riley originally found linked forensically to at least one of the guns.

In March this year, firearms officers executed a warrant at Riley’s home address in Lovetot Avenue, Rotherham, and an object was seen in the air by the arresting officer discarded in a neighbouring garden.

A converted blank-firing, self-loading pistol was recovered – similar to the other six previously found in Beighton – along with five modified 9mm cartridges.

After being arrested and charged, Riley was remanded into custody.

He was found guilty of all eight offences by a jury following a one-week trial earlier this month.

The investigating officer, Det Con Haider Ali, said: “The seriousness of this offence can be demonstrated by the fact that when police identified Riley’s potential links to firearms, a warrant was executed at that address, and, being aware of police arrival, an item was seen to be going over a fence from the garden where Riley was arrested.

“This transpired to be a loaded and viable firearm.”

DC Ali added: “Since then, Riley has been further forensically linked to two more weapons from the storage container which has put him in possession of a significant number of weapons that we have now been able to remove from circulation.

“He is now facing a lengthy spell behind bars after being found guilty at court and this sentence demonstrates that firearms offences will not be tolerated at any level.”