A 33-year-old from Whitworth is one of three people who have been sentenced for possessing a gun and ammunition.

Jordan Proctor, along with Joshua Gibbons, 28, and Tyler Gibbons, 22, men were sentenced to a total of 25 years in jail today (Tuesday, January 23).

On Wednesday, June 15, 2022, police in Stockport recovered a loaded revolver style handgun and ammunition hidden in a cupboard at an address in Edgeley, Stockport.

The trio were all forensically linked to the weapon, and an investigation was launched by the Stockport Challenger team to understand how this firearm had ended up in the town, in their hands.

Hours after the men heard the news their firearm had been recovered by police, the three conspirators met to plan their next move. 

One plan included Joshua Gibbons flying to South America to escape potential prosecution.

He made the decision to move his flight forward and flee the country to Suriname.

Later, police uncovered texts he sent to a friend saying he’d ‘f***ed off man hot for me over there at mo’.

After two months, Joshua Gibbons returned to the UK via Holyhead ferry port on Saturday, August 26, 2022, and handed himself into Cheadle Police Station.

On Monday, September 5, 2022, Jordan Proctor was arrested following a warrant at his house. Tyler Gibbons was also arrested at his house in Edgeley on Thursday, November 15, 2022.

As police pieced together the timeline of events, it is believed on Saturday, June 4, 2022, Josh Gibbons went to Whitworth to collect the firearm from Jordan Proctor.

Lancashire Telegraph:

However, shortly after, Gibbons was involved in a crash on Thorburn Drive, Whitworth.

During that investigation, significant footage was found which potentially showed Gibbons removing the firearm from the vehicle before police arrived at the scene.

Following a trial at Bolton Crown Court, the trio were found guilty of conspiracy to possess a firearm and conspiracy to possess ammunition.

Jordan Proctor, 33, of Hall Fold, Whitworth , was jailed for nine years;  Joshua Gibbons, 28, of Durham House, Edgeley, was jailed for nine years and Tyler Gibbons, 22, of Durham House, Edgeley, was jailed for seven years.

Detective Constable Jon Greenslade, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “This was a longstanding investigation which spanned over 18 months.

"None of the defendants offered any explanation into the presence of their DNA on the firearms, ammunition, or any context of their association, meaning it was for police to prove.

“And that’s exactly what we did. Working with partners and utilising resources from across the force we were able to remove a deadly weapon from our community and bring those involved in firearms possession and distribution to justice.

“Programme Challenger will continue to clamp down on criminals who think they don't have to follow the same rules as the rest of us, and regularly endanger others with their acts.

Greater Manchester deputy mayor for police, crime, criminal justice, and fire, Kate Green, added: “This is excellent work from our Stockport Challenger Team.

"It shows that we will leave no stone unturned in taking action to seize criminal items and this work goes a long way to clamping down on serious, organised crime.

"Sentences like these demonstrate to our Greater Manchester communities that criminals will be caught and brought to justice.”