Former private hire driver from Merseyside jailed for possession of a number of firearms

Image credit: Merseyside Police

Merseyside Police have welcomed the five years and five months prison sentence at Liverpool Crown Court for a former private hire driver from Kirkdale for the possession of firearms.

33-year-old Michael Lyons appeared in connection with three weapons seized, to which Lyons was forensically linked. They were as follows: a self-loading pistol, a stolen recovered army drill SA80 rifle, and a Remington semi auto 12 gauge shotgun.

Lyons had been wanted before his arrest and subsequently charged in November 2020.

Following the sentencing Detective Constable Natalie Charlesworth of the Firearms Investigation Team said: “It is pleasing to see that Lyons will be spending a significant length of time in prison, and that three more dangerous weapons are off the streets.

“Anyone storing, carrying or using firearms in Merseyside is putting the very communities they live in at serious risk. We will continue to take action to locate and seize firearms from the hands of those people, so that they cannot be used to cause fear, injury or worse. Lyons will pay the price for his actions, which could easily have had catastrophic consequences in our communities.

Image credit: Merseyside Police

“Keep providing information and we will take positive action where harm is being caused, and continue our recent progress in reducing firearms incidents across Merseyside.

“You can provide information directly, or anonymously via Crimestoppers, which is completely independent of Merseyside Police."

Anyone with information on gun crime and the storage of weapons is asked to contact @MerPolCC, call 101 or @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111.