Gun thug Kirlew jailed for seven years
Marlon Kirlew, 34, from Bromley, has been locked up for seven years and six months at Woolwich Crown Court for illegal possession of a firearm. Kirlew pleaded guilty last November to having a firearm while banned for life. His accomplice, Michelle Sutcliffe, 34, has also admitted to possession of a firearm but awaits sentencing.
Shotgun found hidden in bin during police raid
Back in August 2017, officers from Trident and Area Crime Command raided a flat in Gillingham, Kent. They found a sawn-off shotgun and two cartridges hidden inside a wheelie bin in the courtyard. The woman living there insisted she had no idea who the gun belonged to.
Kirlew was spotted in the area the night before the raid, arguing with Sutcliffe and getting out of a white vehicle near the flat. Police tied fingerprints and DNA from the shotgun to Kirlew, proving his close link to the weapon.
Sutcliffe’s dodgy story unravels
Sutcliffe initially claimed she’d found the gun a week before the raid and denied knowledge of its origins. Later, she admitted to discovering it the night before but claimed it belonged to Kirlew and was placed by another man she was seeing. Instead of calling the police, she told him to ditch the weapon.
Both suspects were finally arrested in 2018 and 2019. Kirlew refused to comment during interviews, while forensic evidence nailed him with an extraordinary certainty — one in a billion chance it wasn’t his DNA on the gun.
Hardman with a violent past
Kirlew isn’t new to trouble. He has past convictions for firearms offences, including three armed robberies in 2003. He’s been banned from owning guns for life. In March 2019, he was sentenced to 42 months for heroin and cocaine supply. His new sentence for the gun offences will start after he serves that term.
“Had we not taken this shotgun and ammunition off the streets, it could have caused serious injury or worse,” said Detective Constable Iain Logan.
“Sutcliffe knowingly harboured a deadly weapon, an extremely serious offence. Anyone storing or hiding guns encourages gun crime and threatens communities.
Even in these challenging times, Met officers work round the clock to bring offenders like Kirlew and Sutcliffe to justice and make the UK safer.”
