A man has been jailed for almost 14 years for converting blank firing guns into lethal weapons and sending a 3D printed submachine gun through the post.

Luke Fortune, from Longwell Green, was arrested after police found a Glock-style pistol and a revolver hidden in a bush in the suburb near Bristol.

The 23-year-old was sentenced to 13 years and eight months at Taunton Crown Court earlier after admitting multiple firearms offences including manufacturing guns in the garage of his family home.

The judge said: "The length of this sentence is not one that would leave you hopeless… you have the majority of your life ahead of you."

As well as the prison sentence, Fortune was given a serious crime prevention order which the judge deemed "necessary" to protect the public.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said online conservations showed Fortune had planned to travel to Thailand to smuggle guns back to the UK before attempting to bring over more from Belgium.

Digital and financial evidence showed that he was in close contact with another firearms offender – Gerard Dagnall, 33, of Norris Green, Liverpool.

Fortune sent Dagnall a 3D printed FGC9 sub-machine gun through the post and sent him a video of him test firing it in a wood.

Dagnall replied by sending Fortune a photograph of the package next to his passport: "I can't believe you sent me a machine gun through the post."

When NCA officers raided Fortune's home they discovered numerous blank bullets, cartridges, cases and primers in various states of conversion.

Fortune's bank accounts showed he spent several thousand pounds between 2022 and 2024 on blank firearms.

In a prepared statement to police, Fortune said he got involved with criminality because he "owed a drug debt".

Fortune's defence lawyer said he had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, which made him "more suggestible" and more likely to hyperfocus on things.

The judge acknowledged Fortune's "vulnerabilities" and his young age of 19 at the time when the offending began.

In passing sentence to Fortune, who attended the hearing via a video link from custody, the judge said: "Your vulnerabilities and personal mitigation have already been taken into account."

She added the long jail term was "a tragedy for [Fortune], a tragedy for his family, but a consequence of his serious offending".

She also noted Fortune had breached the conditions of a suspended sentence given for previous crimes, which included driving offences and possession of cannabis.

Nigel James, specialist prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service, said Fortune set up his criminal enterprise within his family home.

"The scale of his offending was deeply troubling and his willingness to put deadly weapons on our streets and in the hands of known criminals showed a blatant disregard for public safety.

"Those who fuel the illegal firearms trade and place communities at risk will be caught and prosecuted," he added.

Fortune admitted two counts of possessing firearms, two counts of possessing ammunition, one count of converting a firearm, one count of manufacturing a firearm, one count of selling firearms and one count of conspiracy to import firearms.

Andy Lawton, NCA senior investigating officer, described Fortune as a "dangerous offender".

"He did not care about the potential devastation he could have caused if one of these converted guns fell into the wrong hands," he added.

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