A weapon-obsessed dad who was discovered with three guns and thousands of pounds of drugs has been jailed for ten years. Rocky Hoban, 42, had two sawn-off shotguns and a blank-firing handgun adapted to fire live rounds, along with £11,000 of cocaine when police raided his home.
Specialist officers found the arsenal of firearms hidden in a bag inside a wardrobe in the bedroom at his home. They also recovered 15 rounds of adapted 8mm ammunition for the handgun, live shotgun cartridges and two bags of steel ball bearings, used to modify ammunition.
Police went on to discover a bag containing four ounces of cocaine in the wardrobe, which was later confirmed as having a street value of £11,000. The firearms underwent specialist examination and were confirmed as prohibited weapons under the Firearms Act.
Hobson was arrested at his home in Leeds, West Yorkshire, during the raid on November 7 last year. He was charged with three counts of possession of a firearm without a certificate, possession of modified ammunition and possession of cocaine with intent to supply. He pleaded guilty to the offences and was sentenced at Leeds Crown Court on Thursday (March 30) to six years for the firearms offences and four years for the drugs.
Detective Inspector Michael Herbert, who heads Leeds District Programme Precision Team, said: “Illegally held firearms and ammunition such as these have the potential to kill or cause serious injury and have no place in the hands of criminals. These deadly weapons have been taken off the streets through the continued work of specialist officers targeting those involved in the organised supply of drugs and the firearms offences so often associated with this criminal trade. I hope the significant sentence that Hoban has received will send a very clear message to those involved in gun and drug crime of the penalties they can expect, and also provide some reassurance to the community.”
