Man jailed over police stand-off with home-made gun

A man who had a three-hour stand off with police before being caught with a home made submachine gun has been jailed for six years.

Officers seized the weapon along with another improvised firearm and nearly 700 bullets from Gordon Smith’s bedroom at the home he shared with his mother in Bellshill, Lanarkshire.

Smith, 46, was on bail at the time of the incident and had been ordered to stay away from his mother and the town itself following a previous incident.

He pleaded guilty to a number of firearms offences including manufacturing and possessing the submachine gun.

Officers had spotted Smith arriving at the bungalow to speak to his mother on 30 September last year.

He was found by police in a hole in the wall of his bedroom.

He told them he would “shoot anyone coming in to where he was”.

His mother was removed from the property for her safety.

Smith’s brother arrived before he agreed to come down about three hours later.

The room was searched and an improvised "slamfire" gun was found first.

The submachine gun and 672 bullets were later discovered in eaves storage.

The submachine gun was unable to fire in full or semi-automatic modes, while the slamfire weapon was not capable of firing at all.

At the High Court in Glasgow, Smith’s lawyer, Richard Goddard KC, said he had an interest in field sports such as shooting and fishing.

Mr Goddard heard from family members who had said Smith had “an aptitude for technical matters and engineering”.

Smith told him the instructions for building the submachine gun were available online, as were components and tools.

Mr Goddard said there was “no suggestion” they were connected with any other serious criminality.

Smith apologised for breaching bail and claimed he had not wanted to leave his mum "alone".

Sentencing, Lord Fairley noted Smith had 31 previous convictions, but most were at Sheriff Court level.

He said: “I have noted that the firearm that you manufactured was not capable of functioning as a semi-automatic or automatic weapon.

"I have also noted the extraordinary circumstances in which you have come to manufacture it and retain those other items.

"All of which on one view is concerning, but, the one crumb of comfort, is that they never seem to have left the property that you shared with your mother."