Thursday June 20, 2022

 

A Huddersfield man has been jailed for more than seven years after pleading guilty to possessing a sawn- off shotgun and a machete found abandoned in a car.

Javonte Dennis (19) from Huddersfield was jailed for seven years and two months at Leeds Crown Court on Wednesday ( June 29) after pleading guilty to firearms and weapon offences committed in late 2021. 

  

The 19-year-old was sentenced to a seven years two months for possession of a Section 5 firearm and 16 months for possession of the machete, with the sentences set to run together.

He was jailed following an incident in the Corby Street area of Huddersfield on November 6 2021, in which Operation Jemlock officers approached a suspicious car seen parked up.

As officers approached the vehicle from a distance, persons inside fled.

Officers checked the car and found a loaded sawn-off shotgun on the back seat along with a machete.

Dennis was identified through local CCTV trawls, and later arrested and charged after being forensically linked to the firearm.

Investigations into the case were undertaken by the Kirklees Police Programme Precision Team which investigates serious organised crime in the district.

Detective Sergeant Seb Morgan of Kirklees Programme Precision, said: “The sentence imposed on Dennis by the court sends a strong message to others considering becoming involved in gang related criminality.   It also highlights the dangerous proactive work completed by officers out on the streets, who continue to work hard to try and keep the public safe.

“CCTV and other neighbourhood enquiries led us to identify and arrest Dennis, and modern forensic techniques were able to prove he had handled the weapons, giving him little choice but to plead guilty.

“Those involved in such criminality in Kirklees should be aware that officers make use of all available resources to investigate this serious offending and put them behind bars.”

Chief inspector James Kitchen of Operation Jemlock, which was formed to reduce knife and violent crime, said: “Jemlock officers regularly carry our proactive patrols in Huddersfield to detect and prevent exactly the sort of serious criminality ongoing in this case.

“The team on duty recognised there was something suspicious about the vehicle and their quick thinking led to two highly dangerous weapons being taken off the streets.

“We continue to urge residents to report any and all criminal activity in their communities to the police. All such intelligence is analysed and is used to help us plan our patrols and operational activity.”