Latest news with #RonaldKnowles
The Independent
a day ago
- The Independent
Man created ‘assassination kits' in his home garden for criminal underworld
A criminal gang responsible for manufacturing and distributing "assassination kits" across the UK has been handed sentences totalling more than 60 years. Gary Hardy, 62, was identified as the seller of these deadly packages, which were produced in the garden of his co-conspirator, 64-year-old Ronald Knowles. Knowles was central to the operation, acquiring blank-firing handguns and ammunition, which he then converted into viable firearms. Each "kit" was meticulously prepared, containing a handgun, silencer, magazine, and ammunition, all carefully wrapped in a latex glove. Police confirmed that converted firearms linked to the gang have been recovered from eight different locations nationwide. Investigators believe at least 33 firearms were manufactured at Knowles's illicit factory, which is thought to be one of the largest of its kind in the East Midlands. The network's reach extended to serious criminals, with 65-year-old accomplice Steven Houston responsible for supplying the weapons. Among those who received the illicit firearms was 23-year-old drug dealer Jason Hill, who was convicted of murder last year. Hardy, of The Birches, Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire, received a sentence of 23 years, while Knowles, of Milton Avenue, Alfreton, Derbyshire, was handed a 13-year-and-six-month sentence, and Houston, of Breach Oak Lane, Corley, near Coventry, was given 25 years in prison. Sentencing Hardy, Knowles and Houston, who sat side by side in the dock at Nottingham Crown Court on Friday, Judge Mark Watson said: 'You were in business together. You brought your own set of skills and contacts to the enterprise. 'Each of you contributed in different but important ways. This was a large scale and highly sophisticated enterprise which involved a large number of weapons.' The judge said the operation started in at least November 2022 and told the court he is sure this was intended to continue for longer. The judge sentenced Hill, of Derby Road, Risley, Derbyshire, to serve four years consecutively to his life sentence for murder, and said: 'You are in a different and unique position in that you were not part of the conspiracy I deal with – you were a customer of it. 'These guns were designed to kill. There is no evidence these weapons had been discharged by you.' Hardy, Knowles and Houston were charged with conspiring to sell a firearm, conspiring to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life, and conspiring to convert a firearm. Hill was charged with possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Knowles and Hill admitted their crimes before Houston and Hardy were found guilty at a trial. Police stopped a vehicle in Gallows Lane in Measham, Leicestershire, in August 2023 and found a white box containing four firearms with Knowles's DNA on some of them. Nottinghamshire Police said when officers arrived at his property, they found him setting fire to evidence in his garden. Other weaponry was also seized from inside the address including crossbows, knives, axes, machetes, swords, gas powered weapons, airguns and ammunition, the force said. Abigail Joyce, prosecuting, said the weapon kits were distributed on a 'significant scale', and added: 'There was an expectation of substantial financial gain.' Ms Joyce told the court, which was attended by friends and family of the defendants: 'The prosecution contend that the three played leading roles in a long-standing conspiracy. 'The sale of assassination kits demonstrates they were only designed to be used for one purpose, i.e. the infliction of serious, and likely fatal, injuries.' Emma Goodall KC, defending Hardy, said his chronic health issues would make prison difficult and added that a custodial sentence would impact his wife. Defence barrister for Knowles, Balraj Bhatia KC, said the defendant was 'not the instigator' and is described by many as a 'caring, helpful, kind person that many in difficulties can turn to'. In a letter read out by Mr Bhatia, Knowles wrote: 'I have made my bed, now I must lie in it. I'm sorry for what I got up to. If I manage to come through my sentence, I promise you won't be hearing any more from me.' Gordon Cole KC, defending Houston, said his client has 'real, physical difficulties' and has shown a 'clear expression of remorse'. In a statement after the sentencing, Detective Chief Inspector Mark Adas, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: 'These are ruthless individuals that have a complete disregard for human life. 'They were creating, packaging and distributing firearms, which would have led to devastating consequences had they been used in public. 'Each handgun had been threaded to fit a silencer, which allowed the gun to be used discreetly at close quarters, meaning any potential targets would be lucky to escape with their lives. 'The rounds of ammunition were converted in such a way that upon impact they expanded causing maximum damage to any target. 'Our team of detectives have now closed arguably one of the biggest firearm factories in the East Midlands and taken a large quantity of firearms off the streets. 'The full impact of this investigation will never be seen – that's because we are unable to count the number of lives we may have saved. 'If this operation had continued undetected, the strong likelihood is these weapons would have been used and people would have been killed or seriously harmed. 'To put this into context – considering that each assassination kit included 10 rounds of converted ammunition, the seizure of more than 800 blank firing rounds and nearly 800 lead pellets indicates that the group had the potential to supply up to 80 further firearms packages. 'So far, we have identified eight locations across the country where these specific converted firearms or ammunition have been seized. 'The majority were in the West Midlands. This was therefore a well-established and far-reaching criminal enterprise. 'These criminals have shown no remorse. They provided no comment in interview and have no care whatsoever for the damage they were willing to inflict on others. 'Their motives are likely to have been financial, providing weapons to criminals who in turn were using them to protect their drug operations. 'They have now paid the full price for their actions by being handed lengthy prison sentences. 'Hardy is likely to spend the remainder of his life behind bars, which sends out a clear message to those willing to get involved in this level of criminality.'
Sky News
10-06-2025
- Sky News
The Midlands crime gang who created 'assassination kits' - and how police tracked them down
A crime gang who made "assassination kits" containing handguns and silencers were busted after an extensive police investigation. Four men are awaiting sentence after armed officers swooped on the operation and discovered tools and machinery for making viable firearms. Ronald Knowles, of Milton Avenue in Alfreton, Derbyshire, acquired blank-firing handguns and ammunition, which he then altered so they could fire live bullets. Police say he was part of a "well-established and far-reaching criminal enterprise". Gary Hardy, of The Birches, Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire, organised and controlled the supply of these "assassination kits", police said. Each kit was individually packaged containing a handgun, silencer, magazine and ammunition wrapped in latex gloves. These were then sent to Steven Houston, of Breach Oak Lane, Corley, Warwickshire, who supplied these weapons to members of the criminal underworld. These included a known criminal, Jason Hill, of Derby Road, Risley, Derbyshire. Officers raided Hill's house where they found two handguns, two silencers and ammunition in a safe hidden in the garden. "They were creating, packaging, and distributing firearms that were designed to kill, there is no doubt about this," Detective Chief Inspector Mark Adas, from Nottinghamshire Police, said, adding that evidence revealed at least 33 firearms had been manufactured in Knowles' factory. "Each handgun had been threaded to fit a silencer, which allowed the gun to be used discreetly at close quarters, meaning any potential targets would be lucky to escape with their lives." Each assassination kit included 10 rounds of converted ammunition and the seizure of more than 800 blank firing rounds and nearly 800 lead pellets indicated the group had the potential to supply up to 80 further firearms packages. DCI Adas said the men had no idea police were "tracing their every step" to build a case against them. "The full impact of this investigation will never be seen - that's because we are unable to count the number of lives we may have saved," he added. In August 2023, after lengthy investigation, police stopped a vehicle in Measham, Leicestershire. Inside, they found a white box containing four of the "assassination kits". Detectives linked the guns to both Hardy and Knowles and swooped on Knowles' property, where they say he was found in his back garden setting fire to evidence. Knowles, 64, pleaded guilty to conspiracy with others to sell or transfer a firearm, conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life or enable another person to do so, and conspiracy with others to convert a thing into a firearm. Hardy, 61, was found guilty of conspiracy with others to sell or transfer a firearm, conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life or enable another person to do so, and conspiracy with others to convert a thing into a firearm. Houston, 64, was found guilty of conspiracy with others to sell or transfer a firearm, conspiracy to possess a firearm with intent to endanger life or enable another person to do so, and conspiracy with others to convert a thing into a firearm. Hill, 23, pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm with intent by means thereof to endanger life or to enable another person by means thereof to endanger life.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Daily Mail
Moment armed police arrest man, 64, who made 'assassination kits' for gangsters from his back garden as he burns 'treasure trove' of evidence
This is the moment a 64-year-old weapons collector, who made 'assassination kits' for gangsters in his garden, began burning a 'treasure trove' of evidence as armed police descended on his property. Ronald Knowles curated 80 'assassination kits' in his home in Alfreton, Derbyshire, which included at least 33 firearms, converted from replica pistols, bullets, as well as silencers and latex gloves. He made the killing kits in a makeshift workshop, before handing them off to notorious 'drugs general' Gary Hardy, 61, who sold them from his Ravenshead home in Nottinghamshire. Now CCTV reveals the dramatic moment armed police swooped on his home as they caught him setting alight to a hoard of evidence as plumes of smoke billowed into the sky. Drone footage shows Knowles step out of the outbuilding, holding his hands into the air as armed officers made their way into his home, before they took him into custody and marched him away. The gun factory, producing the 'lethal' self loading pistols, was discovered as part of an investigation into Hardy by Nottinghamshire Police and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU). During the raid, police found lathes and a drill used by the weapons collector to make the silencers and convert the pistols and ammunition, as well as throwing stars, machetes, crossbows and air weapons, and around 1,000 bullets. Knowles and Hardy were convicted of serious firearms offences at Nottingham Crown Court and are due to be sentenced at a later date. Police began to make arrests after stopping a van in Measham, Leicesteshire, in August 2023, where they seized a box containing four 'lethal' self-loading pistols. Each weapon had been individually packaged with a silencer, blue nitrile gloves and ten rounds of live ammunition. Detective Chief Inspector Mark Adas said: 'The bullets had been converted from blank firing to live. 'If discharged they would effectively expand on impact. These were lethal assassination kits. 'I call them that because they were individually packaged. The firearms were designed to kill. It is highly concerning. 'With the amount of ammunition that we found, that was in our belief destined for conversion, another 80 assassination kits could have been converted. 'It was a significant find for us. This is the largest firearms manufacturing operation that I have ever seen, and to my knowledge one of the biggest we've seen in the East Midlands, if not wider'. Police launched a probe into Hardy following his release from a 20-year prison sentence, which eventually unearthed that an operation he led had been supplying lethal weapons to organised crime groups in the West Midlands and Essex. Police say the assassination kits were also passed to career criminal Stephen Houston, 64, who sold them to underworld gangs. Police say one of the weapons was used by drug dealer Jason Hill, 23, to murder rival Owen Fairclough in June 2023. When police searched Hill's home they found a safe buried in the garden containing two guns with silencers and two dozen 9mm bullets. A court heard police believe Houston supplied him with the weapons which had been converted by Knowles. 'We will never know the true scale of how many lives have been saved as a result of us dismantling this operation, but it is significant'. In September 2008, Hardy gained notoriety when he was jailed for 20 years following in a major drugs trial that was guarded by armed police. That jury heard Hardy was one of three 'drugs generals' supplying heroin and amphetamines to dealers in Nottinghamshire. He had a fleet of luxury cars and owned more than 40 properties as part of a string of businesses. The court heard Hardy smuggled heroin into the UK in lorry tyres. The lucrative profits from selling the drugs were then split with John Dawes, and his brother and international drug trafficker Robert. Knowles, Hardy, Houston and Hill were convicted of possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Knowles, Hardy and Houston will also be sentenced for conspiracy to convert a blank firing gun into a firearm, and conspiracy to sell or transfer a firearm.
Yahoo
10-06-2025
- Yahoo
Man made 'assassination kits' from his back garden
Detectives have revealed how they uncovered a makeshift factory that produced lethal "assassination kits" for organised crime groups. Armed police arrested Ronald Knowles as he tried to burn a "treasure trove" of evidence in his back garden in Alfreton, Derbyshire. The 64-year-old, who is now awaiting sentence, converted at least 33 replica pistols, and made enough bullets for a further 80 kits that were packaged with silencers and latex gloves. The kits were sold by a notorious "drugs general" called Gary Hardy, from his home in Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire. The makeshift factory was discovered as part of an investigation into Hardy by Nottinghamshire Police and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU). Its details have now been released by the force after the conclusion of Hardy's trial. Det Ch Insp Mark Adas said officers moved in to make arrests after stopping a van in Measham, Leicestershire in August 2023. They seized a box containing four "lethal" self-loading pistols, each individually packaged with a silencer, blue nitrile gloves and ten rounds of live ammunition. "The bullets had been converted from blank firing to live. If discharged they would effectively expand on impact," he said. "These were lethal assassination kits. I call them that because they were individually packaged. The firearms were designed to kill. It is highly concerning." As armed officers moved into Knowles' garden on Milford Avenue, drone footage captured the moment he emerged from an outbuilding with his hands up before being handcuffed in front of his bonfire. Det Ch Insp Adas says that outbuilding contained lathes and a drill that the weapons collector used to make the silencers and convert the pistols and ammunition. Police also seized throwing stars, machetes, crossbows and air weapons, and almost 1,000 rounds. "With the amount of ammunition that we found, that was in our belief destined for conversion, another 80 assassination kits could have been converted," said Det Ch Insp Adas. "It was a significant find for us. This is the largest firearms manufacturing operation that I have ever seen, and to my knowledge one of the biggest we've seen in the East Midlands, if not wider". Knowles admitted serious firearms offences, and details can now be reported following the convictions of Hardy and two other men at Nottingham Crown Court. Det Ch Insp Adas says Hardy, 61, was "very very dangerous" and led an operation that supplied lethal weapons to organised crime groups in the West Midlands and Essex. "He was living in a nice address in Ravenshead, he had nice cars, he was leading a nice lifestyle but did not have any form of genuine employment to our knowledge," the detective said. "We will never know the true scale of how many lives have been saved as a result of us dismantling this operation, but it is significant". Gary Hardy first made headlines in September 2008 when he received a 20-year sentence in a major drugs trial at Nottingham Crown Court that had to be guarded by armed police. That jury heard Hardy was one of three "drugs generals" in Nottinghamshire, and supplied heroin and amphetamines to dealers in Kirkby-in-Ashfield and Sutton-in-Ashfield. He had a fleet of luxury cars and owned more than 40 properties as part of a string of businesses that made his earnings appear to be legitimate. The court heard Hardy's heroin supplies were smuggled into the UK in lorry tyres, and the profits were split with another Nottinghamshire "drugs general", John Dawes, and his brother, Robert. Robert Dawes was an international drug trafficker who was eventually arrested in Spain and has now been jailed in the Netherlands for ordering a hitman to kill an innocent teacher. Now Hardy is due to be sentenced again at a date yet to be set along with Ronald Knowles and two other men who were convicted of firearms offences at Nottingham Crown Court last month. One of those men is a 23-year-old drug dealer called Jason Hill. Hill is already serving a life sentence for the "brutal and cold-blooded" murder of Owen Fairclough, whose body was found in Breaston in June 2023. Six days after the discovery, officers searched Hill's back garden in Derby Road, Risley, and found a hidden safe containing two guns, two silencers and two dozen 9mm bullets. Nottinghamshire Police believe Hill obtained those weapons from Stephen Houston, 64, who lived in Corley, Warwickshire. They say Houston was supplying Hardy's assassination kits to members of the criminal underworld. Knowles, Hardy, Houston and Hill will all be sentenced for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life. Knowles, Hardy and Houston will also be sentenced for conspiracy to convert a blank firing gun into a firearm, and conspiracy to sell or transfer a firearm. Follow BBC Derby on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@ or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210. Restrictions lifted for men convicted of murder Nottinghamshire Police
BBC News
10-06-2025
- BBC News
Garden gun-maker manufactured assassination kits for crime groups
Detectives have revealed how they uncovered a makeshift factory that produced lethal "assassination kits" for organised crime police arrested Ronald Knowles as he tried to burn a "treasure trove" of evidence in his back garden in Alfreton, 64-year-old, who is now awaiting sentence, converted at least 33 replica pistols, and made enough bullets for a further 80 kits that were packaged with silencers and latex kits were sold by a notorious "drugs general" called Gary Hardy, from his home in Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire. The makeshift factory was discovered as part of an investigation into Hardy by Nottinghamshire Police and the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU).Its details have now been released by the force after the conclusion of Hardy's Ch Insp Mark Adas said officers moved in to make arrests after stopping a van in Measham, Leicestershire in August seized a box containing four "lethal" self-loading pistols, each individually packaged with a silencer, blue nitrile gloves and ten rounds of live ammunition."The bullets had been converted from blank firing to live. If discharged they would effectively expand on impact," he said."These were lethal assassination kits. I call them that because they were individually packaged. The firearms were designed to kill. It is highly concerning." As armed officers moved into Knowles' garden on Milford Avenue, drone footage captured the moment he emerged from an outbuilding with his hands up before being handcuffed in front of his bonfire. Det Ch Insp Adas says that outbuilding contained lathes and a drill that the weapons collector used to make the silencers and convert the pistols and ammunition. Police also seized throwing stars, machetes, crossbows and air weapons, and almost 1,000 rounds."With the amount of ammunition that we found, that was in our belief destined for conversion, another 80 assassination kits could have been converted," said Det Ch Insp Adas."It was a significant find for us. This is the largest firearms manufacturing operation that I have ever seen, and to my knowledge one of the biggest we've seen in the East Midlands, if not wider". Knowles admitted serious firearms offences, and details can now be reported following the convictions of Hardy and two other men at Nottingham Crown Ch Insp Adas says Hardy, 61, was "very very dangerous" and led an operation that supplied lethal weapons to organised crime groups in the West Midlands and Essex."He was living in a nice address in Ravenshead, he had nice cars, he was leading a nice lifestyle but did not have any form of genuine employment to our knowledge," the detective said."We will never know the true scale of how many lives have been saved as a result of us dismantling this operation, but it is significant". Gary Hardy first made headlines in September 2008 when he received a 20-year sentence in a major drugs trial at Nottingham Crown Court that had to be guarded by armed jury heard Hardy was one of three "drugs generals" in Nottinghamshire, and supplied heroin and amphetamines to dealers in Kirkby-in-Ashfield and had a fleet of luxury cars and owned more than 40 properties as part of a string of businesses that made his earnings appear to be legitimate. The court heard Hardy's heroin supplies were smuggled into the UK in lorry tyres, and the profits were split with another Nottinghamshire "drugs general", John Dawes, and his brother, Dawes was an international drug trafficker who was eventually arrested in Spain and has now been jailed in the Netherlands for ordering a hitman to kill an innocent teacher. Now Hardy is due to be sentenced again at a date yet to be set along with Ronald Knowles and two other men who were convicted of firearms offences at Nottingham Crown Court last of those men is a 23-year-old drug dealer called Jason Hill. Hill is already serving a life sentence for the "brutal and cold-blooded" murder of Owen Fairclough, whose body was found in Breaston in June days after the discovery, officers searched Hill's back garden in Derby Road, Risley, and found a hidden safe containing two guns, two silencers and two dozen 9mm bullets. Nottinghamshire Police believe Hill obtained those weapons from Stephen Houston, 64, who lived in Corley, say Houston was supplying Hardy's assassination kits to members of the criminal Hardy, Houston and Hill will all be sentenced for possession of a firearm with intent to endanger Hardy and Houston will also be sentenced for conspiracy to convert a blank firing gun into a firearm, and conspiracy to sell or transfer a firearm.
