Mark Duggan gun supplier Kevin Hutchinson-Foster jailed
Kevin Hutchinson-Foster denied giving Mark Duggan the gunA man convicted of supplying a gun to Mark Duggan on the day he was shot dead by police in north London has been jailed for 11 years.
Mr Duggan, 29, was shot by officers in Tottenham on 4 August 2011 and a gun was found nearby, the Old Bailey heard.
Kevin Hutchinson-Foster, 30, had denied selling or transferring a prohibited firearm to him.
Mr Duggan’s death sparked riots in Tottenham, which led to disorder in a number of English towns and cities.
‘Risk of violence’
In a retrial, Hutchinson-Foster was found guilty of supplying the illegal handgun 15 minutes before police intercepted a minicab Mr Duggan was travelling in and shot him dead.
Judge David Radford said Hutchinson-Foster had “plainly known” the gun would be used for criminal purposes by Mark Duggan or somebody else.
He told Hutchinson-Foster: “There is a significant risk that you will commit specified violent offences in future.”
Hutchinson-Foster, who is already serving a prison sentence for drug offences, pleaded guilty to possessing the same gun and using it to beat a man in a Hackney hair salon a week earlier.
Prior to sentencing, Hutchinson-Foster’s barrister Stuart Denney QC said that his client should not be held responsible for the death of Mark Duggan and the subsequent riots.
He added Hutchinson-Foster had already been in solitary confinement twice for his own protection while in prison.
“It is plainly going to be a hard time,” Mr Denney said.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is investigating the shooting of Mark Duggan.
An inquest into Mr Duggan’s death is expected to get under way later this year.
Good, glad he got 11 years.
It’s a start, Annie.