Birmingham man used 3D printer to make assault rifles

A man who used a 3D printer to make assault rifles has been jailed for five years.

The weapons were found during a search of David Biddell-Portman's home in Birmingham in December 2020.

The 30-year-old had used the technology to fashion the firearms as well as parts and West Midlands Police said it was the first discovery of its kind in the region.

He admitted two counts of manufacturing a firearm at Birmingham Crown Court.

At the same court on Monday, Biddell-Portman, of Neachley Grove in Kitts Green, was sentenced over the weapons - said by police to be capable of firing live ammunition.

Police had called at his home as part of a routine visit after he legally bought a blank-firing pistol and 50 rounds of ammunition.

Officers were let in by a relative and during a search of Biddell-Portman's bedroom, they discovered the two printed assault rifles in a wardrobe.

They also found the 3D printer he had used to make them in an upstairs cupboard, with bullets and gun parts found in a tool box in his shed.

Biddell-Portman had also downloaded software and files containing instructions on how to print the weapons from an anti-gun control organisation.

"We still don't know what Biddell-Portman had intended to do with the weapons. He told us he had an interest in the mechanics of guns," said Det Insp Lisa Jackdon.

"But the reality is that these were deadly weapons which were tested and shown to be capable of firing live ammunition, which could have had deadly consequences."

She said the weapons were a "significant find" and "the first time we've recovered a 3D printed firearm in the West Midlands".

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]

HM Courts & Tribunals Service