A dad has said he was put under a huge amount of stress and worry after being arrested when he handed in a sub-machine gun to the police during an amnesty.
Cristakis Dimitriou, who lives in the St Annes area of Bristol, found the firearm at his dad's house in Birmingham following his death in February, 2021. He also found five boxes of ammunition, containing 145 bullets. Believing the amnesty didn't cover the Birmingham area, he brought these back to Bristol and called Avon and Somerset Police for these to be surrendered on the same month of his dad's death.
The 30-year-old said his understanding was that he wouldn't face prosecution because of a Home Office amnesty running at the time, but he ended up being arrested three days later on February 21, 2021. It wasn't until 11 months later that he was told no further action would be taken against him.
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Avon and Somerset Police said that, following a decision by the CPS not to charge, no further action is being taken. The force said the individual has since instigated a legal claim regarding his arrest and that therefore it would not be appropriate for them to comment further while an investigation into the claim is ongoing.
BristolLive understands that some types of weapons - including machine guns - are exempt under the amnesty - and that the national Home Office scheme states that weapons should be handed in at the nearest designated police station
The dad-of-two said: "I knew that my dad had the gun all along and because I was left as his next-of-kin, I was the one that was going to have to deal with this and the consequences. "What is the point of an amnesty if they are going to do this? You are being willing and honest with the police, and if they treat people like this is going to deter people.
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"I have been doing this for the right reasons from the start. My point is how can you do the right thing if they criminalise you for surrendering a weapon?"
A criminal defence solicitor said that it is standard procedure for an investigation to be carried out when a firearm is handed in to the police, but that this should take ten weeks, not 11 months. He said the police investigation would be in the public interest to ensure there is no risk to the public and that the firearm isn't linked to a crime.
Mr Dimitriou said the gun was given to his dad and that, a couple of days after his dad's death, he went to his house and found a duffle bag in a drawer. Inside the bag was the gun - which he described as a Commando sub-machine gun - wrapped in a jumper. He also found five boxes of ammunition with a total of 145 bullets.
He said he found out the Home Office was running an amnesty until March 9, 2021, so he rang Avon and Somerset Police on February 17, 2021. Weapons amnesties are sometimes run by police forces to rid knives, blades and guns from the streets, usually allowing people to hand them in at dedicated collection points without fear of question or arrest.
Mr Dimitriou said the gun and ammunition were collected the following day, and he described the officers he spoke to on that night as "nice and good", even though he said they were not aware there was an amnesty at the time. He was arrested three days later on February 21, 2021.
Mr Dimitriou said: "Then hell came to my door on February 21. I got a knock on the door at around 9am and there were two police officers there. "They were just saying 'we just want to talk to you, nothing to worry about,' and, as I open the door, a riot van pulls up outside my house and armed officers jump out of the riot van.
'Hell came to my door'
"They were just saying 'we just want to talk to you, nothing to worry about'. And, as I open the door, a riot van pulls up outside my house and armed officers jump out of the riot van.
"There were at least 10 police officers there, with four of them being armed or maybe even more. My children were at home at the time, and CID [Criminal Investigation Department] came into the house and said I was being arrested for possession of a firearm and ammunition.
"I didn't resist the arrest, I was calm talking to them like I am now. I was telling it was my dad's and that I was willing to help the police." Mr Dimitriou said police raided his house and seized his phone as officers wanted to see if he was trying to sell the gun and ammunition or if he was talking about killing people.
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They also took the keys for his dad's house, as he told them there were two pistols there, which were also seized. The 30-year-old said he was released that same day at 7pm under investigation.
"They kept going on about it being my gun," he continued. "I went to see my mum in hospital a couple of days later and I told her about what had happened, I was thinking hopefully mum mum could help me out of this but then my mum was asking 'why were the police here'.
"I felt they were treating me as if they thought I had shot my dad, as if I was the reasons for my dad being dead and my mum being in hospital. I could not grieve as I was worrying I would end up in jail for this."
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Mr Dimitrou said he contacted Avon and Somerset Police at the end of December to get an update on the investigation, having not heard much about how the investigation was progressing in those 10 months.
He said that, on December 28, he was advised the CPS had decided not to prosecute, but then on January 5 he received another call saying the case was being reviewed as Avon and Somerset Police was keen to pursue a charge. On January 21, he said he was told no further action would be taken following the review.
"I felt that they were bullying and harassing me," he continued. "I have spoken to a solicitor and he thinks I have a case. Why was put I put under investigation in the first place? "This is causing me so much worry and stress.
Around the time of my dad and mum's death, instead of being able to grieve, I was worrying I would end up in jailed. I was looking at up to eight years.
"I could not think straight, I had so much going on. I was embarrassed and I didn't want to leave my house. I was worried about being picked up any time, that they would just remand me.
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"It has had a massive impact on my mental health, I am still feeling very anxious and I do not want to go out any more. I was having panic attacks and not sleeping.
I felt they were out to get me so much, that they were determined to get me. "They involved social services and safeguarding so I was worried about them taking the kids away, not being able to see them."
Mr Dimitrou said he didn't seek compensation for handing the gun and ammunition in. "I wasn't doing it for greed, I was doing it for the right reasons - not to have it around me, around my kids, around anybody that it could cause harm to," he added.
Criminal defence solicitor Scott Bowen said any time firearms are involved it is taken very seriously by the police and that it takes time for it to be resolved. Mr Bowen said that, whenever a firearm is handed in, a number of checks need to be carried out including seeing if the firearm was registered or not and whether it can be linked to any crimes.
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However, the defence solicitor said he would expect such an investigation to take 10 weeks to be carried out, not 11 months. He said: "Firearms are fairly rare in the UK.
If you look at it from a public interest point of view, the police have to make sure there is no risk to the public and it would be standard procedure for an investigation to be carried out when a firearm is handed in. "They would have a duty to carry out an investigation to ensure there is no risk to the public and that the firearm isn't linked to a crime."
In a statement, Avon and Somerset Police said: "On 21 February 2021, police arrested a man in his 30s in Bristol on suspicion of possessing a prohibited weapon (an Uzi machine gun) and ammunition. Following a decision by the CPS not to charge, no further action is being taken against him.
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"The individual has since instigated a legal claim regarding his arrest. It would not be appropriate for us to comment further while an investigation into the claim is ongoing."
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