Tottenham girl Mary Boateng hid gun and ammo for north London gang (From Haringey Independent)

Tottenham girl Mary Boateng hid gun and ammo for north London gang

5:23pm Thursday 29th July 2010

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A STUDENT who hid a gun and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in her Tottenham home at the request of a violent gang has been jailed for five years.

Academic Mary Boateng, 19, who was studying to become a forensic scientist, was caught out following a raid by the Met's Serious and Organised Crime Command at her home in Northumberland Park on April 7 following a tip-off.

Officers found a Derringer-type handgun stashed in a rucksack which they believe she was holding for members of a criminal network.

It also contained 300 rounds of bullets for different calibres including a 9mm and a rifle. There were also dozens of magnum rounds.

She admitted the charges on June 6, 2010, at Kingston Crown Court, and was jailed for five years on Wednesday, July 28, for both counts against her, to run concurrently.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Beyer, of the command's central task force, said: "Whether or not Boateng knew the exact contents of the bag in her home, she, in her own words, knew it contained something bad."

He added: "We have removed a gun and a large quantity of ammunition from the streets of London, which would no doubt have caused injury or death. The Met has said loud and clear that people who store guns for others will face time in jail."

During the raid Boateng confessed to officers that she had moved the rucksack from her bedroom to the kitchen because she knew there was "something bad" in it and made a signed statement to that effect.

Boateng was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of the firearm and ammunition but continued to deny having any knowledge of what was in the bag.

Forensic DNA testing revealed that a loose hair caught in a knot of a plastic bag containing ammunition belonged to Boateng.

Despite her claims she had no knowledge of what was in the bag, prosecutors argued Boateng had a greater knowledge of what she was doing than she has been willing to admit.

His Honour Judge Atchley accepted her claims.

Neither the weapon or the bullets were linked to any violent crimes.

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