She hid a shotgun for a drug dealer – and walks free

A mother sobbed as she escaped jail by 9mm after being caught with a sawn-off shotgun which was just slightly longer than the legal limit. Jessica Soares, 24, agreed to hide the weapon in her West Ham flat in exchange for cannabis from her local dealer. British gun laws carry a mandatory five year minimum sentence for illegal possession of a gun shorter than 60 cm. Armed police raided her home on 24 March and found a 12-bore Italian shotgun…