As South Yorkshire Police work to take guns off our streets, pictured here are the criminals who have been jailed for their roles in gun-related offences in 2026 so far.
12 men and a woman have also been brought to justice for their roles in a Sheffield-based illegal gun factory, which was thought to be the largest of its kind in the UK.
Other gun criminals sent to begin prison sentences this year include a “dangerous” man who carried out a revenge shooting in the days after being released from jail for pointing a gun at a police officer.
Possession of a firearm carries a minimum mandatory sentence of five years.
Visit the links below for more detailed court reports on the cases featured here:
- Murder gang jailed for 118 years after young man is killed in drug feud
- Ethan Hallows: Murderer who fled to Dubai after young dad was gunned down in Sheffield is jailed for life
- Drugged-up duo fired sawn-off shotgun at woman's bedroom window over village feud
- Twelve men jailed for massive operation to convert blank firing weapons into deadly firearms in Sheffield
- Tearful woman begs parents to look after her dog as she is jailed for role in Sheffield gun gang operation
- Thug carried out Rotherham "revenge" shooting just one week after his release prison for pointing gun at cops
- Gun-toting Sheffield drug dealer found with firearm and ammunition when cops knocked over his moped
To report a crime, call South Yorkshire Police on 101.
Call 999 in an emergency.
5. Ethan Hallows: Jailed for life, to serve a minimum of 33 years
Dad-of-two Kevin Pokuta was just 19-years-old when he was fatally shot as he sat in a car on Page Hall Road, Page Hall, on December 12, 2023. On Friday, January 23, 2026, Ethan Hallows became the second person to be sentenced for Kevin’s murder, during a hearing at Sheffield Crown Court. Hallows appeared emotionless as The Recorder of Sheffield, Judge Jeremy Richardson KC, jailed him for life and told him he must spend a minimum of 33 years behind bars - minus the 264 days he has spent on remand - before he can be considered for parole. “This was an act of revenge, but it was perpertrated against completely the wrong people,” Judge Richardson told Hallows, who attended court in a grey tracksuit top and bottoms. Jurors convicted Hallows of Kevin’s murder at the conclusion of a trial at the same court, during which prosecutor Bryan Cox KC argued that 25-year-old Hallows had “made the hit’” on Kevin, mistakenly identifying his car as one that had earlier thwarted an attempt to rob a cannabis grow by colliding with one of those involved in the raid. A group making their way to a drug den they planned to raid were halted in their tracks when an e-bike rider among them was hit by a car. A gun was fired in the aftermath of the collision but the group, intent on revenge, spotted a car they believed to have been involved and Jake Brown - the other man convicted of Kevin’s murder - opened fire. They had identified the wrong target and innocent Kevin paid the price with his life. Judge Richardson continued: “You directed the gunman, and a few seconds later he executed what you had directed. You knew full well he had a gun, and was going to use it. | SYP
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6. Joshua Stevens (left) and Luke Rushforth: Jailed for combined total of 11 years
Joshua Stevens (left) and Luke Rushforth were jailed for a combined total of 11 years for a revenge shooting, in which shots were fired at a Rotherham home. Stevens and Rushforth, both wearing homemade balaclavas, approached the victim’s Maltby home shortly before midnight, with Stevens holding the firearm. The complainant was present in the rear bedroom of her home, with the window open, when she heard a male voice saying words to the effect of “it’s this one,” Sheffield Crown Court heard. “She heard a really loud bang, and then the sound of debris falling,” said Andrew Nixon, prosecuting. Mr Nixon said Stevens was the one to fire the sawn-off 12 Gauge AYA Yeoman Shotgun, which hit guttering just above the complainant’s bedroom window. No-one was injured in the incident. Stevens attempted to reload the firearm, but was unsuccessful, a hearing held on January 22, 2026 was told. Jailing Stevens and Rushforth, Judge Anthony Dunne said the complainant had suffered “serious psychological harm” as a result of their actions. Judge Dunne jailed Rushforth for five years, and Stevens for six. He also handed Stevens an extended licence period of two years, bringing his total sentence to one of eight years. | SYP
7. Sami Ali: Jailed for five years in April 2026
Police officers caught Sami Ali red-handed after they knocked the bike he was riding over. Ali answered “no comment” to all questions during the police interview which followed, but subsequently entered a basis of plea, in which he claimed he had been “intimidated into looking after” the gun, Sheffield Crown Court heard. Sending Ali, aged 26, to begin the mandatory minimum five-year prison sentence that possessing a firearm carries, Judge Graham Reeds KC noted that Ali’s DNA was found on a number of areas on the pistol including the trigger, handle and guard. Judge Reeds said this suggested Ali had handled the pistol at the very least. Ali’s barrister, Ed Moss, said his client would suggest the handling of the firearm was something routinely done by those in his position. Prosecutor Brian Russell told a hearing held on April 7, 2026 that tests carried out on the modified nine millimetre Ekol Gediz Pistol found in Ali’s possession was “capable of firing.” He was also found to be carrying a bag around his shoulder containing a “quantity of ammunition,” continued Mr Russell. Ali, formerly of Cypress Avenue, Norton, Sheffield, was found to be in possession of an amount of cannabis with an estimated value of around £160, along with £250 in cash, a set of scales and a mobile phone containing text messages “indicative of drug dealing” and a “debt list.” | SYP
8. Craig Berridge: Jailed for six years
Craig Berridge carried out the shooting on Dawson Avenue in Rawmarsh, Rotherham, as a “revenge” attack for “disparaging” social media comments made online about his friend and former co-accused, Sheffield Crown Court heard. Berridge was in prison serving a 13-and-a-half year sentence when his co-accused, with whom he carried out a petrol station kidnap during which a victim was stabbed with a samurai sword, passed away, the court was told. During the course of the incident, Berridge pointed a gun at officers, telling them words to the effect of “back off.” His co-accused is believed to have been the one to carry out the samurai sword stabbing, the court heard. Upon Berridge’s release from prison, he discovered that a number of people had reportedly made unpleasant social media comments about his late friend. A hearing held on January 14, 2026 was told that Berridge attended at the home of individuals he believed to be responsible for the comments just a week after he was freed from custody, first armed with a knife, and then a gun. Handing Berridge a six-year prison sentence, Judge David Dixon described Berridge’s behaviour as “horrifying in the extreme.” He told him: “It seems you went on social media, your co-accused to the original offences was being referred to in comments. You took those comments to be disparaging.” “A week after you were released from custody, a week after you managed to obtain your liberty…you found a knife.” “You went round to the individuals you thought were responsible for bad-mouthing your friend…you said words to the effect of: ‘I’ve been away for six-and-a-half years but I’m back’. “You left and challenged a number of people as to whether they were the individuals you were looking for.” Berridge, aged 46, subsequently left the area before returning around two hours later, armed with what prosecutor Giles Grant described as a “garden” shotgun. Describing what happened next, Judge Dixon continued: “You walked to the side of the property…you raised your arm, adjusted your stance, and fired a shot through the window.” Worryingly, it was not possible to see inside the property, due to a net curtain obstructing the view of the interior of the flat, when Berridge, formerly of Grange Road, Rawmarsh, Rotherham, fired the shot through the kitchen window. | syp