A man caught with a loaded sawn-off shotgun in his flat claimed he’d been made to hold the deadly weapon for ‘Albert the Albanian’.

Police had gone to Abdul Banaras’ flat in Alice Smith Square, Littlemore, in March 2021 to arrest him for an alleged attempted rape – of which he was later acquitted.

Oxford Crown Court heard that the officers found 36-year-old Banaras balaclava-clad and having apparently just moved the bag containing the shortened double-barrelled shotgun, an axe and gloves.

The police had to wait two hours of a firearms officer to come out to the flat to confirm the gun was loaded.

It was – and further tests showed that it could be fired in anger.

In a basis of plea, Banaras said he was being ‘cuckooed’ by a violent gang, including one man known simply by his nickname ‘Albert the Albanian’.

They were said to have left the shotgun in the flat. The defendant accepted moving it – and so was aware of its presence – shortly before the police arrived. Two men – including Albert – had allegedly given him the impression they were going out to commit a robbery.

Recorder John Hardy KC said: “You, as you admit by your plea, were in possession of a deadly weapon, a swan-off shotgun with both barrels loaded and cocked and ready for action.

“You have presented a basis of plea which the prosecution for understandable reasons have chosen not to dispute.

“That basis of plea refers to your being cuckooed by a gang of criminals including criminals from Albania.

“I’m bound to say that it was open to you when the police arrived to say to them ‘thank heavens you’re here, I’m being compelled to look after this dreadful weapon for people whose violent intent and purposes make me look pretty small time by comparison’.”

He made it clear he did not blame Banaras for not coming clean at the scene, although the defendant said from the dock: “I did say [that] to them at the police station.”

The court heard Banaras had 27 previous convictions on his record, including for robbery and drugs supply.

Banaras, of Boundary Brook Road, Oxford, pleaded guilty on what would have been the day of his trial to possession of a prohibited firearm.

Mitigating, Andrew Wilkins said his client had effectively been in custody since his arrest in March 2021.

Having been acquitted of the attempted rape in May, he was re-arrested within days for the shotgun offence – despite prosecutors having been served with the expert report last December confirming what the weapon was.

The judge said he had to impose the mandatory minimum sentence, with a starting point of five years. But in recognition of the amount of time Banaras had spent in custody, he awarded him maximum credit for his late plea – reducing the sentence to four years’ imprisonment.

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This story was written by Tom Seaward. He joined the team in 2021 as Oxfordshire's court and crime reporter.  

To get in touch with him email: Tom.Seaward@newsquest.co.uk

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