The dad has been sent back to prison after being found in possession of a firearm for the second time in less than 10 years
Ryan Dawson, of Steers Croft, aged 29(Image: Merseyside Police)
A dad who was caught carrying a gun in a man bag after being shot told police “you would if it happened to you as well”. Ryan Dawson was sent back to prison this week after he was found in possession of a firearm for the second time in less than 10 years.
It came after police discovered a loaded pistol hidden beneath a pile of rubble at the home of the convicted drug dealer’s girlfriend. He later claimed that he had been told to “mind” the lethal weapon after racking up debts.
Liverpool Crown Court heard this week that Merseyside Police executed a drugs warrant at the home address of Dawson’s partner on Fieldton Road in Croxteth on September 8 this year. This lead to a small quantity of cannabis being recovered from a car which was parked outside the house, while a loaded firearm was subsequently discovered inside a black bag which had been buried under a pile of rubble next to the property.
Iain Criddle, prosecuting, described how this self-loading P80 pistol was subsequently successfully test fired using two of the eight rounds of 9mm ammunition which were found within an accompanying magazine. Dawson’s DNA was meanwhile detected on the hand grip, side catch, slide grips and rear sight.
Under interview, the 29-year-old, of Steers Croft in Stockbridge Village, gave a prepared statement in which he said that he was “given the firearm to mind, but never actually intended to use it”. He later went on to claim that he had done so in order to “satisfy a drugs debt”, although this was not accepted by the prosecution.
Dawson has two previous convictions for six offences, receiving five years for possession of a prohibited weapon and possession of ammunition without a certificate in June 2017. This came after he was stopped and searched by police the previous month and found to be carrying a hand gun in his bag.
Having been arrested, Dawson told officers: “I’ve been shot, that’s the reason I carry it around. You would if it happened to you as well.”
The ECHO reported at the time that the then 20-year-old was the victim of an unsolved shooting on Hollow Croft in Stockbridge Village on December 12 2016. He was said to have been shot in the leg by a gunman dressed in all black in a case of “mistaken identity”.
On May 5 the following year, officers then spotted Dawson as part of a group of men who were “acting suspiciously” on Sovereign Road in Croxteth. While they were asked to stop, the defendant appeared “extremely nervous” and attempted to walk away, while PCs also noted a smell of cannabis.
Dawson thereafter struggled with police and had to be taken to the ground before he was searched, at which stage a Harrington and Richardson Young America Bulldog pistol and four bullets were recovered from his man bag. The unloaded weapon was found to be in full working order but was not linked to any shootings, similarly containing his DNA on the grip and trigger.
In February 2024, Dawson was then handed a suspended prison sentence for possession of cannabis with intent to supply, possession of MDMA and money laundering. This came after 487g of the class B drug, £13,579.17 in cash and a Rolex watch were discovered during a search of his home.
Ian Whitehurst, defending, told the court: “He is remorseful for his actions and took responsibility for them at a very early stage in proceedings. He was minding the weapon. He is a father of a young son. The relationship with the child’s mother had some difficulties, as one can imagine, after his arrest. Things are improving over time between them.
“At the time of this offence, there had been a series of very unfortunate events for the defendant and his family. His grandmother passed away, his grandfather was seriously ill and his dad, who is deemed a very vulnerable individual, has been missing for many months. That has caused considerable upset to this defendant.
“He has had mental health issues in the past. He believes that he has PTSD from a previous shooting around 2016. That incident has obviously had long term, lasting effects on the defendant. It has led him to abuse substances over the years.
“To his credit, this defendant, while in custody, has addressed his substance misuse. He is not using [cannabis] now, and there has been a marked change in his improvement. He has a history of depression and anxiety relating to the incident when he was shot, as far as he was aware, for a completely unknown and unprovoked reason.”
Dawson admitted possession of a prohibited firearm, possession of ammunition without a certificate and possession of cannabis. Appearing via video link to HMP Liverpool, he was jailed for five years and four months on Friday.
Sentencing, the Honorary Recorder of Liverpool Judge Andrew Menary KC said: “You fall to be sentenced on the agreed basis that you were minding the loaded firearm and ammunition on behalf of others. You no longer assert that you were doing so in order to clear a drug debt.
“You have a highly relevant record. It is clear that you are someone who has a close connection to crime. The firearm was loaded. In agreeing to mind it, you were, at the very least, reckless as to whether it would be used by others to commit serious crime.
“You have plainly suffered genuine trauma from being shot in the past. You have symptoms which are highly suggestive of PTSD. You have recently lost your grandmother, your grandfather is seriously ill and your father is missing. You have a young son.”