TWO men have been jailed for a total of more than 31 years for their involvement in a plot to manufacture and transfer sub-machine guns made using a 3D printer.

Christopher Gill from Bradford and Sibusiso Moyo, who lectured in computer science at the city’s university, were convicted in March after trial at Sheffield Crown Court.

Today, Moyo was imprisoned for 18 years and Gill for 13 years and eight months.

Moyo, 41, of Elloughton Grove, Hull, and Gill, 35, of Dick Lane, Laisterdyke, Bradford, were found guilty of conspiracy with others unknown to manufacture prohibited firearms.

They and Majeeb Rehman, 46, of Central Avenue, Little Horton, Bradford, were convicted of conspiracy to transfer a prohibited firearm, an FGC-9 hybrid carbine sub-machine gun, to persons unknown on May 17, 2022.

Rehman will be sentenced at a later date.

Moyo and Gill were found guilty of possession of eight 9mm Luger cartridges without a firearms certificate and two charges of having a prohibited weapon for sale or transfer.

Moyo was convicted of possession of an identity document with improper intention.

During the trial, the jury heard that a loaded sub-machine gun seized by the police from Rehman’s BMW on Rooley Lane in Bradford was manufactured using a 3D printer. A trained firearms officer who inspected it had never seen such a weapon before.

Andre Horne, a scientist with expertise in the analysis of firearms and ballistics, concluded that most of the carbine was produced on a 3D printer and some of its metal parts appeared to be homemade.

Stephen Wood KC, for the Crown, said that Moyo and Gill were involved in the manufacture of the guns and Rehman was caught red-handed transporting one loaded with functioning bulleted cartridges.

Shortly after 7pm on May 17 last year, police officers carrying out surveillance saw Rehman park his blue BMW up on Darren Street in Bradford.

Gill then left his home nearby carrying a Bag for Life. He got into the rear of the BMW and quickly emerged without it.

At 7.28pm, the BMW was stopped on Rooley Lane by armed police. A search of the bag revealed a firearm manufactured from plastic and metal component parts. A cartridge from the magazine looked like it had been fired previously. There were a total of eight rounds in all.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: The moment police swooped on the car The moment police swooped on the car (Image: West Yorkshire Police)

Shortly after Rehman was stopped, police officers went to Gill’s home and arrested him. In the loft at his address they found a holdall containing a firearm.

With the complete carbine was a component part for another firearm. Coiled black material with it was the raw material used in 3D printing.

Moyo was a DNA match for swabs taken from seized items.

He was ‘intimately involved in the manufacturing process,’ Mr Wood stated.

The FGC-9, 9mm Luger carbine recovered from Rehman’s car was passed round the members of the jury. Mr Wood pointed out the embossed motif on the gun, saying it could be seen more clearly than on a photograph. The court heard that imprinted on the plastic is an image of an arm holding a curved sword with what appears to be blood dripping from it.

The jurors also handled one of eight Parabellum calibre cartridges recovered with the carbine and the carbine found in Gill’s attic.