A man from Pimlico has been jailed for being in possession of a stolen shotgun.

Layth Ahmed was one of two people to be found guilty of the charge at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Friday (March 31).

The 25-year-old, and Naveed Rehman, from Richmond Street in Plaistow, were each sentenced to 27 months in prison.

The pair were arrested following a high-speed chase with police in April last year.

Layth Ahmed was later identified as driving the Audi

DC Jane Lotriet, the investigating officer from the Met’s Trident Area Crime Command, said there was no doubt in her mind that the weapon would have been used on London’s streets if not found.

Ahmed, from Churchill Gardens, and Rehman were in a black Audi spotted by officers in a marked police van with incorrect number plates while travelling along New Plaistow Road in Stratford, East London on April 28, 2016.

The officers pulled alongside the Audi and one of them spoke with the front seat passenger, whose window was wound down, and told him and the driver to pull over.

Instead, the Audi completed a U-turn and drove off at speed, going up onto the pavement kerb to get away.

A short while later, a member of the public was in nearby Hotham Street when he saw a black car driving recklessly.

The car pulled up in front of him and he saw the front seat passenger, get out, open the boot and remove a shotgun.

Forensics later discovered Naveed Rehman's fingerprints on the discarded weapon

The witness saw the suspect throw the shotgun into a grassy area on the side of the street and called 999.

The male got back into the car, which then drove off and was abandoned close by in Dell Close, Stratford.

Police attend the scene and recovered the discarded shotgun and the Audi.

Enquiries linked Ahmed to the Audi and evidence showed he was the driver. He was arrested the following day (April 29) and bailed pending further enquiries before being charged December 8 2016.

The shotgun was sent for forensic testing and DNA matching Rehman was found on the barrel and trigger of the gun. He was arrested on October 20 2016 and charged the next day October 21.

The weapon was found to have been stolen in a burglary in Cambridge in March 2016.

DC Lotriet said: “The recovery of this weapon has no doubt prevented its use on London’s streets.

“Anyone found to be involved in the storing or use of lethal firearms will face a significant custodial sentence, which Rehman and Ahmed have found out today.”

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