Maidstone Crown Court, where Draper's case was heard

by Keith Hunt

A thief stole a doctor's holdall on a train - and was shocked to discover it contained a shotgun, a court heard.

When traced through CCTV, Timmothy Draper claimed he had dumped the valuable weapon in a river.

But it turned out to be a lie and he continues to refuse to reveal what happened to the £10,000 Hartwell side-by-side shotgun.

Mary Jacobson, defending, said the 27-year-old drug addict feared for his life if he gave the information to police.

But Judge Michael Carroll asked: "What about the life of anybody staring down the barrel of this weapon?"

Draper, of no fixed address, was jailed for two years after admitting theft, possessing a firearm and wasting police time.

Maidstone Crown Court heard Dr Alexander McCaldine was travelling with his wife from London's St Pancras station to Kent on November 19 last year.

Olajide Lanlehin, prosecuting, said the GP held a firearms certificate and was transporting the gun for a friend who had been unable to take it on a flight.

The shotgun was broken down into three parts and wrapped in clothing before being put in the large black holdall. Dr McCaldine put the bag next to his seat.

Draper joined the train at Rochester at lunchtime and grabbed the bag as he got off at Gillingham. Dr McCaldine did not realise it had gone until he got off at Sittingbourne.

"He contacted the transport police," said Mr Lanlehin. "They swung into action pretty quickly when informed a shotgun was at large. They checked CCTV and identified the thief."

"what about the life of anybody staring down the barrel of this weapon?" – judge michael carroll

His description was passed to local police. By chance, officers were attending a bail hostel in Gillingham Road, Gillingham, where Draper was staying.

He claimed he had overdosed on heroin in an attempt at suicide. He was taken to hospital and then detained. A shotgun certificate that was with the weapon and other items belonging to the victim were seized from his room.

Draper, who was studying for a degree in electronic engineering, claimed he panicked when he saw the gun and disposed of it at Chatham Pier. He said he then went to end his life in a park by taking a heroin overdose.

Mr Lanlehin said police divers spent a day searching the river at a cost of about £1,500 but did not find the firearm. CCTV for the area was checked and there was no sign of Draper on the day he claimed to have ditched the gun.

He refused to disclose any more information.

"There was a great deal of concern the shotgun was still at large and the use it might be put to," said the prosecutor.

Draper was on licence at the time of the offences, having been released from a previous prison sentence 11 days earlier.

The prosecutor said a police officer was in court to make another plea for information about the gun.

Judge Carroll told Draper: "I accept this was an unpremeditated offence but it was a serious one. People travelling on the railways cannot always keep an eye on luggage all the time.

"It is what happened after. When you discovered what you had stolen, you possessed it and treated it as your own to dispose of. There were other courses open to you.

"When police knocked on your door you lied and lied again. You acted out a piece of theatre, offering to take police to various locations.

"Even today you are still not prepared to assist the authorities to recover that firearm. Your counsel says it is more than your life's worth. So is it for the person staring down the barrel of that shotgun."

Asked by the judge if there was any information about the shotgun, Mary Jacobson, defending, replied: "There will not be. There are reasons for that. He states it is more than his life is worth. There is genuine fear that were he to give any information his life would be in jeopardy.

"He was told to say he threw it in the river. He has tussled with his conscience. He doesn't normally associate in that world. He is unable to assist further."

Miss Jacobson said it was "a theft gone wrong". She added: "He hadn't the faintest idea when he took that bag it had a firearm in it. It was only when he delved down to the bottom he discovered it.

"He was horrified. He accepts he dealt with the whole situation completely wrongly. He panicked. He was stealing for drugs and got more than he bargained for."

Miss Jacobson submitted that a suspended sentence with onerous requirements could be passed.

Draper had a good job as a sound engineer after gaining qualifications. "He was clearly going somewhere," she added. "Drugs caused his downfall. He went from a well-salaried career to the position he finds himself in now," said Miss Jacobson.

He was now drug-free and off a heroin substitute. He had planned to go on a rehabilitation course.