Sinister ‘armourer’ blamed machine gun and rifle haul on man with cerebral palsy – Liverpool Echo

A carer hid his cache of guns and grenades in a secret storeroom at the home of a man with cerebral palsy.

Michael Green stashed three rifles, a de-activated machine gun and explosive material in the flat of William Ross.

He then blamed Mr Ross for the weapons stockpile when police discovered the haul.

Mr Ross was arrested and charged with firearms offences but his prosecution was abandoned when detectives realised he had been exploited by the man tasked with caring for him.

The manipulation was one twist in an extraordinary case which has now led to Green - described as an "armourer" - being jailed.

The 31-year-old was busted in the aftermath of a Merseyside Police raid at Mr Ross' Cressington home.

A search team found a locked bedroom at the property when a warrant was executed in July 2018.

Inside that room was a haul that included three antique - but viable - rifles, the de-activated machine gun, a sawn-off shotgun, air rifles, grenade and gun parts and explosive substances.

Also in the flat was a collection of books and documents including the infamous bomb-making guide the Anarchist Cookbook.

Simon Parry, prosecuting, said: "At the address was William Ross.

"Mr Ross was 52 years old at the time and is a vulnerable individual. He is described by witnesses who have come into contact with him as having cerebral palsy and mobility difficulties.

"They also describe him as being susceptible to manipulation.

"At Mr Ross flat the police found a locked box bedroom. Mr Ross told the police that he did not have a key to it as the room was used by his carer, this defendant.

"Mr Ross offered to call Green to come and open it.

"Officers forced entry and a large quantity of firearms, ammunition and grenades were found. Most of them were recovered from a wardrobe within the room.

"Greens fingerprints were found on items within the wardrobe and within the room generally."

Liverpool Crown Court heard Mr Ross had lived at the flat for around a year and Green had helped him move in.

When he did move in, however, he discovered a lock had been fitted to the second bedroom.

The court heard Green told him this "was to stop him from going in and nosing around".

Mr Ross spent three days in custody and was charged with firearms offences before investigators realised the extent to which he had been exploited and the allegations were dropped.

Mr Parry said: "Mr Ross had no knowledge of the items that were being kept at his property... he said he just wanted his life back and when asked how he now felt about Green he replied with expletives."

Following the raid on Mr Ross' property, police searched Green's home on Micawber Close in Toxteth.

There they found pyrotechnic fuses, as well as flowers of sulphur and bags of potassium sulphate - both substances which can be used in explosives.

Green told police that all the weapons belonged to Mr Ross, who he said had a "fascination with firearms".

He argued his DNA was found on them because he handled the items when he helped Mr Ross move in.

But Green eventually admitted possession of a firearm without a certificate, possession of ammunition without a certificate and possession of explosives.

No evidence that he planned to use the weapons, plotted to create explosive devices or had transferred any weapons to others was found.

However, Mr Parry said the haul of items went far beyond that of a collector of antique firearms and memorabilia, or someone who could be said to have the items due to an innocent hobby.

He said: "The prosecutions case is that Michael Green has a detailed knowledge of the world of firearms and munitions which led him to acquire firearms, both legal and illegal, ammunition, and items that can be used to construct explosives.

"Furthermore, the seizures revealed the type of engineering equipment that can be used to adapt or engineer weapons, together with books, manuals and diagrams of the same nature.

"He was someone who, the prosecution says, was an armourer.

"He had available to him weapons, ammunition and the wherewithal to construct explosives so that should anyone require such items he was in a position to provide them.

"Whilst the prosecution accepts that Green himself has not used such items in a criminal way, those who would seek to obtain weaponry from him would most certainly have used it for nefarious purposes."

Damian Nolan, defending, said his Green did not possess the items for any "aggressive" purpose and the court heard claims Green would not have made them available to criminals if he was approached.

Liverpool Crown Court was also told his actions had cost him his home, job and his relationship.

Judge Louise Brandon said that while many of the guns were old, the antique rifles were viable and as a result "maintain an attraction to the criminal fraternity".

Handing him a sentence of eight years, she added: "There was, therefore, a real danger of these weapons falling into the hands of serious criminals."

Following his hearing on Monday, senior crown prosecutor Rachael Barber, said: He exploited the vulnerability of the man he was supposed to be caring for by storing these dangerous items in his home.

Guns, ammunition and explosives bring death, destruction and chaos to our communities. They are the tools of the criminals who also bring drugs and other forms of criminality to our streets."

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Sinister 'armourer' blamed machine gun and rifle haul on man with cerebral palsy - Liverpool Echo