A man and woman have been jailed for their role in an illegal gun factory which supplied pistols to criminals.

Lee Rice and Marie Brazier bought dud bullets from military memorabilia sites and used them to create live ammunition to be used in their guns.

The guns were made from scratch and sold out of their factory in Hailsham. Three other men helped to make and distribute the firearms.

A trial at Hove Crown Court heard that more than 350 rounds were bought over a five-month period in 2018.

The rounds would then be filled with gunpowder so they could be used in the manufactured pistols.

Kyle Wood, 34, from Littlehampton and Greg Akehurst, 34, of no fixed abode were jailed for nearly 30 years between them in 2019.

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Mark Kinman, 64, made the guns and pleaded guilty to manufacturing firearms but died in prison before he was sentenced.

Rice, 38, from Surrey, and Brazier, 49, from Irene Avenue in Lancing were sentenced to eight and six years in prison respectively at Lewes Crown Court on Friday.

Andy Noyes, branch commander of the National Crime Agency, said: “We are relentless in our pursuit of those responsible for supplying firearms and weapons used in criminal activity.

"Rice and Brazier held key roles that contributed to the production of viable pistols and ammunition at the Hailsham firearms factory. These weapons then made their way into the hands of criminals who used them in acts of serious violence.”