Two men have been jailed after exchanging a gun in a car park.

Jake Mitchell, 27, was seen at a car park in Colchester in October 2019, seemingly waiting for a person’s arrival.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard he was seen to go to the rear of a Mercedes before opening the boot, while co-defendant Billy Parsley, 24, got out of the passenger seat of a BMW.

Judge Timothy Walker said Parsley deposited an item wrapped in yellow plastic into the boot.

“That later turned out to be the sawn-off double barrelled Baretta shotgun, which contained two live cartridges inside the breach,” he said.

Mitchell was arrested shortly after this meeting, with a search of the boot revealing a sawn-off rifle found in a plastic bag together with nine rounds of ammunition.

Parsley was arrested the following day.

At Mitchell’s home, in Egret Crescent, Colchester, a 4mm revolver was found under his bed.

In total, 92 cartridges were found which could be fired from the revolver.

Read more: Men caught hauling firearms and ammunition locked up for 12 years

Mitchell, 27, of Egret Crescent, Colchester, admitted three counts of a possession of firearm and Parsley, 24, of no fixed address, admitted transferring a firearm at Chelmsford Crown Court on 18 November last year.

They were sentenced yesterday, Wednesday March 24.

Mitchell was jailed for a total of seven years and two months and Parsley was jailed for five years and three months.

Detective Chief Inspector Steve Nelson said: “The potential harm these weapons could have caused does not bear thinking about, and there can be no doubt that Mitchell and Parsley were well aware of the potential consequences.

“Fortunately few people will ever be affected by gun crime, but we are working tirelessly to keep it that way, by taking weapons off our streets and putting criminals before the courts.”