Birmingham gunman hid shotgun in his car as he drove towards the city

A gunman is facing jail after West Midlands Police firearms officers caught him with a shotgun hidden in his car as he drove towards Birmingham.

Joshua Barrett, aged 24, was held by officers on Walsall Road in Great Barr at around 11.40pm on October 2 last year. Officers have told how they found the shotgun wrapped inside a black holdall hidden in a bin bag on the back seat of the Vauxhall Corsa.

A full search of the car revealed two mobile phones, £300 in cash, as well as handcuffs, gloves and bags of cannabis. The shotgun had been decommissioned, but had marks on it suggesting attempts had been made to convert it into a live weapon.  Tools found with the weapon are also believed to have been used to get it working again.

Get a bespoke headline round-up, as well as breaking updates, when you sign up to BirminghamWorld’s free emails At Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday (March 19), Barrett went on to admit possession of an imitation firearm, possession of cannabis with intent to supply, and possession of criminal cash.

DC Claire Smith, from our Major Crime Proactive Team, said: “We stopped Barrett’s car because we strongly believed he had access to firearms. The gun was in the process of being converted to fire again, so it’s great that another potentially deadly weapon has been taken off the streets.”

Shootings fall significantly across the West Midlands

Barrett, of West Road, Great Barr, will be sentenced on 30 April. Police said his arrest is part of Operation Target - the force’s ongoing mission to target serious and organised criminals in the West Midlands.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police explained: “We work with a range of partners to target gun crime, drugs, money laundering and exploitation of children and vulnerable adults. Last year, shootings in the West Midlands fell by more than a quarter, from 126 to 92.

“Over the same time period, the number of guns we recovered rose by 25%, from 121 to 152. Our Major Crime Team, which was launched last year, has specialist capabilities to carry out large-scale investigations, while working closely with local policing teams to build a clear picture of those involved in gun crime. If you’ve got information on people involved in gun crime in your area, get in touch via Live Chat on our website, or via Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”