'Pillar of the community' lived a double life as a gangland gun dealer who smuggled a 'menu' of weapons from Serbia to sell to London gangs

Locked up: Marcus Simpson has been jailed for 16 years for smuggling submachine guns and other weapons from Serbia to London. He once stood as as a Tory councillor

A Tory candidate has been jailed for 16 years for selling submachine guns he smuggled from Serbia to drugs gangs in Britain.
Marcus Simpson, who narrowly missed out on being elected to his local council, offered gangsters a ‘menu’ of weapons that included a Scorpion submachine gun, a laser-sighted assault rifle and Walther PPKs, plus silencers and ammunition.
Simpson, 42, was a Conservative candidate for Corby, Northamptonshire, in the 2011 local elections. He lost by just 170 votes to Liberal Democrat Bob Riley.
Sentencing him at Wood Green Crown Court, North London, yesterday, Judge Witold Pawlak said: ‘It’s not an exaggeration to describe you as a purveyor of death and fear.
'You presented yourself as a model member of the community who even stood to be a councillor. Behind this façade you were making at least two trips to Serbia to buy guns and ammunition.’
Prosecutor Quinn Hawkins said the guns were sold to gangs who used them ‘during a frenzied series of acts of violence’ in disputes over the sale of drugs.
He described Simpson as the ‘head of the conspiracy’ who ‘had a  fascination with guns’.
Police arrested Simpson and Ryan Groves, 39, moments after an arms deal at a restaurant in Tottenham, on May 29 last year.
Jerome Minott was convicted alongside them for helping to peddle the weapons
Simpson and Groves, of Tottenham, admitted conspiracy to possession of firearms and ammunition with intent to endanger life.
Sentencing gun peddles Groves and Minott to 12 years in prison each, Judge Pawlak said Groves was an 'enthusiastic middle man' whilst Minott was 'less involved'. 

involved'.

Brutal: Simpson's gang provided lethal weapons to clients, including a submachine gun, a laser sighted assault rifle and semi-automatic weapons. This is one of the gang's guns

Dangerous: Simpson was the ringleader of a three-strong gang who provided a 'menu' of lethal weapons to clients. This image shows some of the cash which was found on the gang

Calling Simpson the 'head of the conspiracy', Mr Hawkins had previously told the court how he even stood as a Conservative councillor for his home borough of Corby.
Mr Hawkins said: 'Marcus Simpson was the head of the conspiracy.
'He had a fascination with guns. He presented himself as a model member of the community, standing as a Conservative councillor for his home borough in 2011.
'He was the armourer. He was responsible for the purchases in Serbia and the manufacturing of guns and ammunition at his home address in the garage.
'Groves and Minott acted as salesmen, selling guns and ammunition to gang members and drug dealers.
'They sold these items in the full knowledge that they could be used to endanger lives.'
Police arrested Simpson and Groves after a gun deal that took place inside Groves’ South Tottenham restaurant Jah Mek Ya on May 29 last year, which was also attended by Minott and two other men, one believed to be the buyer.
In one text sent to Groves three days before the meeting at the restaurant Simpson advertised his stock.
He listed a Scorpion sub machine gun full auto select fire with two clips for £3,700, two Walther PPKs for £2,600 each, three Bernerdeli/Beretta mod 90 with silencer for £3,200 each and two Vzor mod 50 with silencers for £3,300 each and one without a silencer for £2,950.

Convicted: Simpson peddled the haul through sellers Ryan Groves, left, and Jerome Minott, right

Evidence: Police recovered boxes of ammunition, left, as well as latex gloves, right, from the gang

Of the PPKs, Mr Hawkins said: 'Any James Bonds fans amongst you would have heard of this gun.'
Simpson, 42, and Groves, 39, of Tottenham, pleaded guilty to two conspiracy charges, one to possess firearms with intent to enable another to endanger life and another of possessing ammunition with intent of enabling another to endanger life. Minott, 27, of Acton, was found guilty by a jury of the same charges.
Members of a gang who carried out a gun attack on a rivals using the smuggled weapons were also jailed today.
Anthony Bennett, 28, of Waltham Abbey, Marcus Paul, 20, of Chingford and Dylan Addo, 20, of Epping were each found guilty of two conspiracy charges, one to possess firearms with intent to endanger life and another to possess ammunition with intent to endanger life.
Bennett was jailed for 14 years, whilst Paul and Addo were both sentenced to 12 years detention.
Jeffrey Larbi, 20, from Chingford was found guilty on two counts of possessing a firearm and one of possessing ammunition, as well as one count of conspiracy to possess firearms and another of conspiracy to posses ammunition.
He was sentenced to 10 years detention.

Sentenced: Members of the gang who carried out a gun attack on a rivals using the smuggled weapons were also jailed today, including Marcus Paul, right and Anthony Bennett, left

Criminals: Dylan Addo, right, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for his role with the gang. Jefery Larbi, left, was sentenced to 10 years

Judge Pawlak also passed four year license extension periods upon Simpson, Groves, Paul and Bennet after ruling they posed a serious risk to the public.
After the gun running gang was sentenced to 88 years in prison Detective Inspector Steve Meechan of the Trident Gang Crime Command East Proactive Team, said: 'This was a lengthy and protracted investigation into a dispute between members of the same gang.

'Gang lifestyles can often be chaotic and lead to serious violence and this case goes some way in demonstrating the complex nature of Trident's investigations.
'The criminal activity of those convicted has caused misery to local residents and the local area, creating a hostile place to live due to their violence, criminality and anti-social behaviour.
'There have been no shootings on the Chingford Hall Estate since the last three shootings that took place in April 2012.
'Today's sentencing should send out a clear message to gang members that tackling gang-related violence remains a key priority for the MPS. Trident officers will continue to target and convict those who are involved in gang criminality, carry weapons and cause harm in London's communities.'
Another of the smuggled weapons, an Underwood M1 Carbine assault rifle fitted with a laser dot tactical sight, was recovered, along with two automatic handguns, from the Chingford home of 21-year-old Jadine Mills.
Ms Mills, who was jailed for five years at an earlier hearing for her part in the crime, was connected to four other defendants in the case, who were found guilty of using guns during a violent feud.
The case linked two conspiracies, one to supply guns and the other to use them, explained prosecutor Quinn Hawkins.
He said: 'Between the end of 2011 and May of 2012 a group of individuals were responsible for selling lethal automatic firearms and ammunition to others predominately based in and around North London.

'Through painstaking police work it was possible to link the guns to both those involve in selling them and those who purchased them and used them during a frenzied series of acts of violence as a result of some form of dispute.
'This involved inter-gang rivalry over Class A drugs.'
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