West Street: Man had imitation gun on Sheffield 'party street'
A man chased by police through Sheffield city centre was found to be carrying an imitation firearm.
After observing the evasive behaviour of defendant Hassan Gordon, who appeared to be trying to avoid police officers patrolling a Sheffield party street on a Saturday night, he was found to be carrying an imitation gun which had ‘all the appearance of a genuine firearm,’ following a pursuit through the city centre.
Police mounted a chase of him on West Street at around 10pm on Saturday, January 11, 2025. Officers subsequently followed Gordon, aged 33, through to nearby Trippet Lane, where he was apprehended and found to be in possession of a blank firing pistol, a hearing held at Sheffield Crown Court on February 10, 2025 heard.
An orange magazine on the pistol had been ‘painted black,’ causing it to have ‘all the appearance of a genuine firearm,’ prosecutor Richard Sheldon told the court.
Mr Sheldon continued by saying it is the prosecution case that the imitation firearm Gordon, of Little Norton Avenue, Norton, Sheffield, was found with was most likely intended to be used for ‘criminal purposes’.
Gordon was charged with, and pleaded guilty to, an offence of possessing an imitation firearm at his first court appearance at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court.
Mr Sheldon continued by saying Gordon has a number of relevant previous convictions, including a robbery involving the use of an imitation firearm, for which he received a 63-month custodial sentence in 2019.
Among Gordon’s other convictions is an offence of attempted robbery, dating back to 2006, as well as offences of possessing a bladed article and an offensive weapon from 2009 and 2012, respectively.
Defending, Richard Barradell said the majority of Gordon’s offending was committed while he was a juvenile or a very young man.
Following his 2019 robbery conviction, which is his most serious, he has complied with his licence conditions, and all that has been required of him, Mr Barradell suggested.
Mr Barradell added that Gordon now has children, and is a ‘good father’ to them.
He referred Judge Graham Reeds KC to the findings of a pre-sentence report, which suggests the defendant may be best dealt with through a community order.
Sentencing Gordon, Judge Reeds told him that the fact he has been found with an imitation firearm, when taken together with his previous crimes, arouses ‘grave suspicion about why you had it with you’.
Judge Reeds added, however: “There is no evidence you were about to use it to commit a crime…when you were stopped by police it hadn’t been produced, so it’s not possible to know why you had it.”
Judge Reeds said there was no basis upon which to step outside of the sentencing guidelines, which, he said, state the appropriate disposal would be a community order.
He sentenced Hassan to an 18-month community order, as part of which the defendant is required to complete a 10-day rehabilitation activity requirement, along with 120 hours of unpaid work.
Judge Reeds also ordered the forfeiture and destruction of the imitation firearm.