Man jailed for six years after DNA links him to handgun found following Dudley fire
He denied the offence but was found guilty following a trial
A Cradley Heath man has been jailed for six years after forensic evidence linked him to a handgun discovered in the aftermath of a fire in Dudley.
Emergency services were called to Stourvale Road in Lye on July 23, 2025, after an arson attack on a car spread to a nearby derelict industrial unit. Once the blaze had been extinguished by West Midlands Fire Service, investigators searched the building and made a significant discovery.
Inside a second vehicle within the unit, officers found a self-loading pistol along with a small quantity of cannabis and several mobile phones.
Forensic examination revealed that DNA belonging to 24-year-old Terrell Billingham was present on the handle of the firearm. Firearms experts later confirmed the weapon was capable of being used.
Billingham, of Granville Road, Cradley Heath, was arrested on August 20, 2025, and charged with possession of a firearm.
He denied the offence but was found guilty following a trial. At Wolverhampton Crown Court on July 3, he was sentenced to six years' imprisonment.
Detective Sergeant Marc Petford, of West Midlands Police's Major Crime Unit, said: "We know that criminals, and those who choose to have firearms illegally, will try to evade detection by hiding them away.
"In this instance the hiding place was found after an unrelated incident nearby. But we are always working to track down those involved in gun crime and would urge anyone with information on the location of illegally held firearms to contact us, so we can remove them from our streets."