Man with loaded shotgun near shopping centre jailed

A man has been jailed after police found a sawn-off shotgun and two machetes in his vehicle near a busy shopping centre.

William Lee, from Uffington, was stopped by officers at Templars Square Shopping Centre, in Cowley, just after 14:00 BST on 2 June 2025.

Inside the vehicle, police found two machetes in the footwell alongside a sawn-off shotgun with two cartridges loaded in the barrel - which was found in a bag on the back seats.

During a hearing at Oxford Crown Court on 11 February, The 42-year-old was jailed for five years.

He had previously pleaded guilty to possession of the two machetes and the sawn-off shotgun during an appearance at the same court in July 2025.

Thames Valley Police (TVP) said its officers had initially stopped Lee because his black Nissan Navara Tekna had a marker due to a suspected vehicle clone.

Officers then searched the vehicle, discovering a military grade flare gun, a wooden axe handle, and a wooden slingshot - alongside two machetes and a shotgun.

The force said the gun was found cocked, loaded and on safety mode, alongside 20 shotgun cartridges.

Lee was arrested the same day and no one was injured in the incident, police added.

Tara Scott-Spencer, from TVP, said: "We are very pleased Lee has received a custodial sentence following this investigation."

She said the force would "always investigate, seriously and thoroughly, any firearms offences".

"We will always work as a force to take these weapons off the streets and bring the people who use them to endanger our communities to justice," she added.

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