Man jailed after leaving behind gun in taxi - and his bank card

A panicking dad fled when police discovered a gun and ammunition in the taxi he had been travelling in - but in his haste he foolishly left behind his bank card.

Kyle Anthony Simm’s details quickly led police to a relative’s home, where he was hiding in the loft, and he was arrested.

Liverpool Crown Court heard on Friday that Simm ‘did not want to advance any explanation’ as to why he had the revolver and four rounds of rimfire cartridges. “He accepts the court may draw inferences,” said his lawyer Matthew O’Neill.

Jailing the 39-year-old for seven and a half years Judge Andrew Menary, KC, the Recorder of Liverpool, said: “I’m sure your possession of the weapon was in connection with serious criminal offending.” He said that it may have been he was taking the items to be used by someone else.

The judge pointed out that: “Analysis of your telephone showed you had previously been searching the internet looking for a Glock handgun and a shotgun.”

Simm, of Elleray Drive, Dingle, who has 30 previous convictions including drugs offences, pleaded guilty to four offences involving possessing the firearm and four cartridges.

Neil Bisarya, prosecuting, said that police stopped the private hire taxi on Friday evening, September 29 on Eaton Road, West Derby after driving by and spotting him keeping ‘a low profile’.

Judge Menary described the stop as ‘as a consequence of good intuitive police work’.

They found a man bag in which was a Brocock ME38 Magnum self-contained gas cartridge revolver, which bungled attempts had been made to adapt it to fire the sort of live .22 rimfire cartridges found along with it.

The man bag also contained Simm’s bank card and although he fled he was arrested on October 4.

Mr O’Neill said that the defendant has three young children who he will be away from for a significant period of time. He pointed out that the weapon was found in the taxi and not brandished and not loaded.

“He says this is the end of the criminality and he hopes to use his time in prison productively.”

Mr O’Neill added that Simm, whose previous convictions also include 32 months for a theft conspiracy, has ADHD and one or two learning issues.