London arms dealer jailed for longer

A London man has had his jail sentence increased following an intervention by the Solicitor General, Rt Hon Lucy Frazer QC MP.

Darren Dixon, 32, was involved in the importation, conversion and sale of prohibited firearms over the internet. On 9 October 2019 police raided his home and found an arsenal of weapons including 102 rounds of live ammunition, 26 firearms (of which 16 were prohibited) and gunpowder.

Police also found forged Metropolitan Police and Interpol warrant cards in different names with his photograph. His laptop revealed a vast number of emails negotiating sales of weapons and demonstrating detailed knowledge of firearms.

On 5 March 2021, Dixon was sentenced to 8 years’ imprisonment at Southwark Crown Court.

Following the Court’s decision, the Solicitor General referred Dixon’s sentence to the Court of Appeal under the Unduly Lenient Sentence (ULS) scheme.

On 26 May 2021, the Court ruled that the sentence was unduly lenient and increased it to 11 years’ imprisonment.

After the hearing at the Court of Appeal the Solicitor General, Rt Hon Lucy Frazer QC MP, said:

“The scale of Dixon’s criminal enterprise was truly terrifying, and the weapons that he sold have the capability to inflict tremendous damage. I am glad that the Court of Appeal has seen fit to increase his sentence.”