Newham man: 12 years for having shotgun

A NEWHAM man has been sentenced to twelve years in prison for being in possession of a shotgun with intent to endanger life and two rounds of ammunition – while out of prison, on licence, for a previous firearms offence.

Yusuf Ademola

The guilty man is Yusuf Ademola, 27, of Claremont Road, E7 – but that is not where the weapon was stored. The shotgun was at the home of Jessica Soares, 25, in Manor Road, E15.

The weapon was discovered on 27th March, when officers from the Metropolitan Police Trident East Proactive team carried out a search of Soares’s home in Manor Road. Soares admited she was in possession of a firearm and told police it was behind a cupboard in her bedroom. Police found the firearm, and two rounds of ammunition. Soares was arrested.

Police then went through Soares’s phone. They found messages between Soares and Ademola which revealed that Soares was basically keeping the shotgun for him. Police also found that Soares had taken a cab to Ademola’s address just hours before she was arrested. Ademola’s fingerprints were also found on the bin liner in which the gun was wrapped. Ademola was arrested on 13th June.

Jessica Soares

Ademola and Soares pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm at a previous hearing, which saw Soares being given a sentence of eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months. On 19th October, after a four day trial at Snaresbrook County Court, Ademola was found guilty of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Last week Ademola returned to Snaresbrook, where he received his twelve month sentence.

When Ademola was arrested, he was out of prison, having been released on licence in 2016 from a sentence received for a previous firearms offence. He returned to prison to complete that sentence, which will be served in July 2018 – and will then begin the twelve month sentence

Before she handed down the twelve month sentence, the judge referred to various evidence which showed that when he came out of prison Ademola renewed his links with various gangs and he had been caught on film glorifying guns.

After the sentencing, DC Gareth Starr of the Met’s Trident and Area Crime Command said, “Firearms have no place on London’s streets, and today’s sentence reflects the seriousness with which firearms offences are viewed in the eyes of the law. Ademola was on licence from prison after being jailed for the same offence and he clearly did not learn his lesson. Soares, out of some misguided sense of loyalty, agreed to hold this dangerous weapon and she has now received a criminal conviction for the costly gamble she took.”

Detective Inspector Steve Meechan, of the Met’s Trident and Area Crime Command, said, “Tackling gun crime remains a key priority of the Met and Trident officers will continue to target those who choose to store such dangerous weapons.”

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