A gun maker who used a 3D printer to manufacture assault rifles using equipment he bought over the internet has been jailed for five years, in one of the first prosecutions of its kind in the UK. David Biddell-Portman’s house was visited by police for a routine visit after he legally bought a blank-firing pistol and 50 rounds of 8mm of ammunition in December, 2020.
They were let in by a relative, but Biddell-Portman wasn’t in. Officers searched his bedroom and found two assault rifles in a wardrobe. In an upstairs cupboard, they found a 3D printer used to produce the weapons and a cassette of plastic to print parts.
A court heard the forklift truck driver had a “fascination for firearms” and police found two potentially lethal guns, including one with a silencer, in his wardrobe. 3D printers have legitimate uses to print out physical objects by laying down lots of layers of plastic. They can be used for everything from toys to jewellery and furniture.
But an examination found that the assault rifles had been printed on the machine, with steel parts added to them for key components which could not be made with plastic. He said there was evidence that Biddell-Portman had tried one of the weapons out and that it was an aggravating feature that one of them had a silencer.
We examined Biddell-Portman’s electronic devices and found that he had downloaded software and other files, including instructions from an anti-gun control organisation, allowing him to print out the weapons. In a toolbox in his shed, we found bullets, metal gun parts and other 3D printed plastic parts for weapons.
Biddell-Portman, 31, of Neachley Grove, Kitts Green, pleaded guilty to two charges of manufacturing a firearm and was sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court. Det Insp Lisa Jackson, of our priorities team, said: “This is the first time we’ve recovered a 3D printed firearm in the West Midlands, and so is a really significant find for us.
“We still don’t know what Biddell-Portman had intended to do with the weapons. He told us he had an interest in the mechanics of guns. But the reality is that these were deadly weapons which were tested and shown to be capable of firing live ammunition, which could have had deadly consequences.
“We fully appreciate that 3D printers are growing in popularity, and have lots of legitimate uses. But people considering using them to manufacture deadly weapons must be put on notice that we will treat them as seriously as any other traditional firearm and they can expect to be given lengthy prison sentences as a result.”
Sentencing, Judge Richard Bond said “The reason you have come before the court is because you have a real fascination for firearms. This was a relatively sophisticated weapon in the way it had been constructed.
“These firearms were capable of killing and maiming people. If someone had found out what you were doing you would make yourself a target of blackmail from criminal gangs.
“The use of 3D printers to manufacture firearms is now of real concern for police forces up and down the country. What the public needs to understand is that those who consider using 3d printers to manufacture parts for lethal weapons is that the courts will impose sentences that will deter others.”
He said he had taken into consideration that Biddell-Portman had no previous convictions and there was no suggestion he was linked to any criminal gang.
Birmingham Crown Court heard Biddell-Portman came to the police’s attention in November 2020 when he bought a blank firing pistol along with 50 cartridges. Prosecutor Madhu Rai said: “It was that purchase that prompted the police to visit that address on January 31. That was a routine check.”
Biddell-Portman shared the property with his partner and also his partner’s mother who owned the premises and was present when police arrived. They then searched a bedroom used by the defendant and in a wardrobe found four firearms, two of which were illegal and had been manufactured with a 3D printer.
One of the illegal weapons was a .22 gun with a shortened barrel with a removable shortened stock capable of firing live ammunition. The other was a smooth bore gun, which could also fire live rounds and also had a silencer attached to it as well as a magazine which could hold up to 17 bullets.
Both weapons were part plastic and part metal, the plastic parts having been created by the printer, and were later successfully test fired. Firearms officers were called to make the weapons safe while Biddell-Portman arrived partway through the search and admitted he had created both the guns.
Also discovered were a rifle under the defendant’s bed and a box on top of the wardrobe with “numerous gun parts and bullets.”
