Businessman jailed for Hong Kong gun part shipment

A Yorkshire businessman has been jailed for trying to smuggle military-grade gun parts to Hong Kong.

Steven Gates, 47, attempted to send rifle scopes - which magnify a gun's target - to a buyer without having the necessary licence.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said it seized three of the items at Manchester Airport in February 2022, before discovering five more at the same airport in April 2023.

Gates, of Howden Way in Wakefield, was sentenced to two years and one month in prison at Leeds Crown Court on Friday, after pleading guilty to exporting prohibited or restricted goods and falsifying export documents.

The defendant, who ran a metalwork business, described the items as "low-value cameras" on shipping papers, according to HMRC.

Evidence of 10 further shipments to Hong Kong were detected when officers searched his home and arrested him, in May 2023.

Edwige Hill, deputy director in HMRC'S fraud investigation service, said: "This was a calculated and persistent attempt to undermine and circumvent the strict licensing regime that is in place to protect the UK.

"This case sends a clear warning to others that if you try and send military items without an export licence, we will catch you and you will face justice."

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.