Three men jailed for a total of 17 years for gun crime

Three men have been jailed for a total of seventeen years in prison after a car was shot at in Kirkby in 2023.

Yesterday (Thursday 16 January) Nathan Higham, Craig Jones and Kyle Jones were sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court after pleading guilty.

The three men:

- Nathan Higham, 22 years, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possessing ammunition without a certificate. He was sentenced to seven years in prison to run consecutively to a robbery offence which he is currently already serving a sentence for.
- Kyle Jones, 21 years, of Ashwood Close, Kirkby pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possessing ammunition without a certificate. He was sentenced to five years in prison
- Craig Jones 31 years, of Ashwood Close, Kirkby pleaded guilty to possessing a prohibited firearm with intent to cause fear of violence and possessing ammunition without a certificate. He was sentenced to five years in prison

The convicted men were arrested and charged following an extensive investigation involving CCTV and forensics.

This follows an incident at around 9pm on Friday 14 July 2023 when it was reported gunshots had been heard on Chesterfield Drive.

The caller describes a white car being driven on a field chasing three men on foot wearing balaclavas. One of the men, running from the car, aimed a gun at it and shot three times.

The men then split up with one running onto Ebony Way and the other two running onto Ivory Drive, Kirkby.

Detective Inspector Chris Clark said: “The risks of unlicensed firearms and firing them in a residential area is dangerous and reckless behaviour that will never be tolerated by Merseyside Police.

“We are determined to rid the streets of firearms and find all those prepared to store, carry and use them.

“They are criminals who do not care about the fear and devastation their actions can wreak on our communities and they have no place here in Merseyside.

“We conduct warrants, stop checks and searches in those areas where people tell us these offenders operate, so keep telling us what you know so that we can take positive action.”

Anyone who knows anything about Illegal firearms in Merseyside, should contact Merseyside Police social media desk via X @MerPolCC or Facebook ‘Merseyside Police Contact Centre’.

You can also call 101 or contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their website here: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/give-information/forms/give-information-anonymously.