A TEENAGER from Newport has been sent to prison for almost five years after he was caught manufacturing his own gun from his bedroom using a 3D printer.
Gwent Police have been videoed testing the gun, which appears to be a fully functioning weapon.
Owain Roberts, 19, of St Michael Street in Newport, used a 3D printer to build an FGC-9 pistol when he was aged 17.
FGC stands for "f*ck gun control" according to the court.
Cardiff Crown Court heard on November 14 that inside Robert's bedroom at his father's house on Clarence Street, Gwent Police found gas masks and night vision goggles, alongside the 9mm semi automatic pistol.
As of 2024, the FGC-9 is the world's most common 3-D printed gun, used by insurgents, militia members, terrorists, and drug traffickers in at least 15 countries around the world.
On Roberts' phone, intelligence found both racist and far-right political messages that he sent to his friends which included, "beating up Muslims is my pre-workout" and "lefties are weird."
His "nerdy" obsession with the military and guns derived from his mother being American, and the fact that when he was 15 he participated in some basic army training.
PC Tom Meazey, the officer in the case, from Gwent Police’s East Serious Organised Crime team, said: “Illegally-held firearms can lead to tragic consequences and devastate innocent people’s lives.
"To own a firearm, including a printable one, is illegal in the UK without a valid firearms certificate.
“Roberts did not have one and his reckless and thoughtless actions in buying items capable of manufacturing a firearm have the potential to put people at the direct risk of harm.
“Fortunately, investigations of this type are rare – the first of its kind for our service – and we’re grateful to the support of the National Crime Agency (NCA) during this complex enquiry.”
Roberts was sentenced to four years and nine months imprisonment in a young offenders institution by Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke and will serve half before being released on licence.
He was also fined £41.
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